Gemini
by Bleu Jai
Summary: Silver tries to live together with Venice, an alternate personality caused by the trauma of growing up in Crisis City. Venice has the power of chronokinesis, while Silver has psychokinesis. Venice is headstrong and cocky, Silver is naive and justified. Together, they must try to unite their differences and learn to work together to put an end to Mephiles
1. Prologue

"MAMA!" I reached out, fingers trembling in pained agony. Then blood... so. Much. Blood. My eyes were wide with distress. I watched as mother was impaled by a pale purple spiked tendril, right through the heart as the crimson fluid painted the concrete.

"Daddy! Please, sa-"

More bloodshed. Followed by flames. Within seconds, life had changed for me. Both of my parents had ceased to exist within mere seconds. What once were bodies that held me tight, were now reduced to ash upon the rubble. I had no one to blame for this aside from myself and those impaling spikes. The tendrils of rocky fire that dripped molten lava onto the crimson concrete, flames that licked the walls of my once easeful home. The cursed Flames of Disaster known as Iblis, and the one who seemed to "control" them, Mephiles.

I stared, amber eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, cheeks stained with trails of tears, clutching bits of ash-dusted rock in my hands. They shook. I screamed until I couldn't speak. I didn't have the strength to save them. I didn't have the power to seek justice for them. I was weak. I did not have any power.

I was powerless.

Powerless until verdant met amber.

"Pity how frail mortal bodies are." His words cut the silence. A loud voice in my head as stillness surrounded the rest of my being.

A limb was held out to me, crystalline and radiated a coldness similar to the arctic winds of winter. His face held no expression, his mouth was barren, his eyes were such a deep shade of emerald, like two pools of vile poison. That crystal limb began to liquefy into something somewhat human- a hand.

He would appear to me as a black and verdant green-striped hedgehog. He had bright green eyes, odd bracelets on his wrists and below his knees, some special shoes, and spikes that pointed upwards. He did not have a mouth, instead, he opted to speak to me telepathically.

If only I knew what he wanted with me back then.

He took me in, keeping me locked up in some sort of crystalline prison. It was dark, contrasting the suffocating heatwave of vermilion I would wake up to. Coldness was nice for a change, but it was too cold. Too... hostile.

Not free, I was never free.

Friendly and protective became a two-faced manipulator as time went on. I was so... alone, the only company being the walls of the prison, my reflection in the violet crystals that surrounded me.

It was then that I could not remember where I was, let alone, who I was.

I didn't know freedom. I never was a friend to her. Instead, I only knew one being, and that was Mephiles. It was always Mephiles.

"You must wear these to control your powers." He said to me.

The feeling of harsh coldness wrap around my wrists and the top of my shins; metal bracelets sealing seamlessly into place. By him. Always by him. His leash, his puppet, his toy.

I told him that I did not have any, to which he only laughed.

And then vanished.

I lay on the cold crystalline floor, staring at the gold bracelets that adorned my joints. Strangely, there was a dark line in the center of all four bracelets.

I did not question it. Strange things like this happened.

My memory is so broken up, so foggy of life in his prison. But I do remember my escape. My return to Crisis City. Bleak and thick with smoke, but somewhat free from his grasp.

He began to show me things, teaching me about something called the Iblis Trigger, explaining how that because of the Iblis Trigger, my future was this broken. They're the reason that my parents...

I was forced to watch families die, children are killed, molten lava flood my home city. His spiked tendrils held me in place, forced to stare from the sky at all the turmoil.

No, those poor people did not deserve this.

"You amuse me, Silver." The dark one spoke via telepathy.

I tried to shut my eyes, tried to turn away, tried to do anything than see another person fatally hurt.

Crystal spikes tore into my flesh every handful of seconds. I could feel the blood trickle down my arms and hands, tears mixing with the blood from my mouth as blunt crystals would punch my abdomen.

"You do not reply to me. Are you scared?"

A pause as another crystal jabbed my stomach. I bent over (as much as the tendrils allowed me to), nearly retching from the pain. I felt my mind starting to go blank. I began to feel... nothing.

"No, not scared- disconnected. As if a part of your brain has ceased functionality." The dark one submerged himself in the shadows, now becoming nothing.

I was so hurt and angry. At him, at myself, at Iblis, at the world. I felt like I was reliving it all... reliving the death of my parents, my psyche finally cracking after years of Mephiles' taunting and abuse.

The crystals around me shattered as I cried out from the tsunami of memories. My body burned, my hands and feet tingled with such an odd surge of chaos energy. Neon teal colors burst to life through those dark indents in his bracelets. My powers were no longer dormant. It was as if my body was on autopilot as I felt all emotion drain from me. Feeling this new rush of energy take hold, scarlet energy swirl around my body like an aura; I destroyed Mephiles' lair with a single thought, "go away." He was surprised at this power I held. I wonder why. Perhaps, a piece of him feared me, or he was just trying to psych me out.

Shards of crystal rained down upon me, pelting my quills as the red energy radiated from my being. The teal light from my bracelets were no longer teal, instead, they were scarlet. This new energy was... indescribable.

Do I owe him thanks for my power? Absolutely not. This power is mine. All Mephiles did was activate it. The other one, however... took longer to realize his strength.

He went to sleep.

And I awoke in his place.

"You keep impressing me, Silver." He reformed from the shards of crystal, appearing completely different from his previous appearance. "The orphan of a dystopian world wrecked with misery. Despite your tragic life, you continue to persist."

I levitated (an ability I never knew I had) past him. Starting into my reflection, I noticed something: this body is not mine. It was his. Of course, it was his. Regardless, I turned to the crystal figure.

"...Yes, I see."  
"What do you see, Mephiles?"  
"I see the beginning of a story- your story, Silver."

Then, the shadowy-being vanished into a cloud of mist. I could only scoff as I turned away, looked to the threatening black clouds that rained ash, and took off.

* * *

This world was devastated before I was born. A harsh, bleak place, where we live in eternal darkness. Life is a struggle, and people live without hope. How did this happen? No one will answer me directly. But they always point... to the flames.

I landed on a platform of shattered building, my psychic energy fading as I watched the fires burn. It rained ash, the fog was thick with smoke. Misery was what this scene was described as.

"Silver."

I turned to face the familiar voice, my spirits lifted as I saw Blaze. She was the only living connection I had in my life, the only person holding together my hope to fix the future. If it wasn't for her words and honesty, I would be too lost to try and find a way to defeat the fires.

"Coming, Blaze." I smiled at her as she nodded in acknowledgment.

We began to walk away, towards the smoke and raining ash.


	2. Aries

The flames danced as the princess twirled elegantly from the large rubble. Teal light shined brightly with concentration as the hedgehog kept his teammate's platforms steady. They were so close. So close to finishing off Iblis. Well, this incarnation of it.

"Silver!" Blaze cried out as she jumped high into the air.

"Right behind ya!" He called out, readying a large boulder from the ground.

With a graceful spin, the princess burst into flames. In synchronicity with her, Silver forcefully shattered the boulder and threw it into her fiery aura. Blaze waited until the perfect moment to strike, carefully aiming at her target. She knew its weak spot, she's hit it before.

"C'mon ya flaming freak! Over here!" Silver shouted to the lava monster.

A demonic bellow echoed the silence of Crisis City, turning its attention to the levitating hedgehog. He was being as annoying as a fly, a pest you cannot get rid of.

"Hyah!"

With a final twirl, the princess sent multiple flaming rocky projectiles at the enemy, pelting it constantly until it gave a final roar of pain. Silver watched in wide-eyed amazement at his friend's perfect aim. The beast began to sink into the lava pool, bubbling and swirling mass of molten rock meeting in the center. Blaze landed on the ground as did Silver.

"Blaze, that was amazing!" Silver exclaimed, staring at her like a sugar high kid.

The princess gave a sheepish grin before turning her attention to the lava. She placed her hands on her hips and turned on her heels.

"I am just glad that this appearance of it is finally defeated." She spoke, slightly out of breath. In her chest, she couldn't help but feel as if she was lying.

Silver followed, catching up to her.

"Yeah but give yourself credit where it's due! I doubt I could spin that many times without getting dizzy!" He laughed in honesty. "It's as if with every battle, you teach me something new."

"Oh? What did you learn back there then?" The cat gave him a kind grin, raising her brow. She'd be lying if she wasn't amused in testing his knowledge.

"Uh..." Silver hesitated as he crossed his arms, looking down in thought.

Behind both of them and little to their knowledge, Iblis was far from defeated. The beast began to rise from the lava once more, this time appearing more scaled by molten rock. As if it was using said rocks as some sort of armor from blunt attacks.

Blaze's ears turned from the noise, eyes going wide at the larger and more protected this incarnation appeared.

The entity raised its blazing limbs, then quickly brought them down towards the duo. Burning rock bullets fired at the two of them suddenly.

"Look out!"

Her shout caught Silver by surprise as he was too into his own thoughts to acknowledge the noise. Turning and raising his arms, he cloaked himself and Blaze in a shield, protecting them from the rocks.

"What?! I thought it was finished?!"

"It appears as if it is using the rocks as some sort of armor."

With a mighty roar, the lava monster thrust its fiery limb down on the two of them. Luckily, Silver's shield was too powerful albeit painful to hold up against such pressure. Shaking off the pain, the hedgehog released a surge of psychokinetic power before jumping to high ground with Blaze.

"Dang it! Why won't it stay dead?!" Silver hissed, protecting himself and blaze in his teal energy.

"It is made of fire, Silver. This world is nothing but fire now. It always has the energy to keep coming back." Blaze answered, letting go of his hand as she stepped onto a broken skyscraper.

"Do you think you can do that twirly thing again? That seemed to stop it!"

"It seems to only give it more rocks to use as armor."

"Of course... This stupid flame demon..." Silver sighed, landing on a platform in front of Blaze. "I can probably kill it, I just need a moment to focus." He tightly shut his eyes, breaking his psychic aura for a moment.

[_Boulders... cars... broken pillars..._]

Teal energy began to grow around the large objects, picking them up with ease.

[_Focus, Silver... Focus. That large slab of road, those cars, those rocks..._]

/Blunt objects won't work. You heard her./

[_I know that! But if I can distract him for just a second with them, then maybe I can... wait! That's it!_]

Silver opened his eyes, smiling as he jumped into the air. He levitated and held his hands up, something beginning to surge to life within his grasp. He shouted as he threw his arms down, a psionic wave of sharp cyan energy hurled in Iblis's direction. It sliced one of the beast's horns off, turning it into ash. Still holding onto the large objects, he threw them at the beast, watching in delight as Iblis melted back into the lava.

"Haha! YES!" He did a backflip in the air at his own excitement. "Sharp things work, Blaze!" He turned to face her, oblivious to the fact that a large golf ball-sized rock was being shot right at him.

"Silver! Look out!" Blaze shouted, raising her hand to try and deflect the projectile.

Not even given a chance to react, Silver found himself struck in his temple by the medium-sized rock, burned and partially molten. His unconscious body fell from the platform and plummeted into the ground, creating a large thick cloud of dust from the impact.

"Silver, are you alright?!" Blaze immediately jumped down to her friend, falling to her knees to his aid.

Iblis screeched, rocky fanged maw opening as flames spouting as it did so. Multiple flames shot towards the two of them, to which flames burst from her fingertips, pushing back Iblis's projectiles.

"Silver, please wake up!" She shook her friend, noticing the bruise on the side of his head. She winced at the pain he must be in, growling to herself and standing. She turned to face Iblis.

Blaze jumped from the high platforms, embers dancing around her being as they targeted Iblis. She jumped and danced all around the beast, keeping it distracted from her injured friend. She jumped to lower ground after a while, dodging the fiery rocks and limbs that rained towards her. With a lash of her tail, the princess launched herself into a spin, sending forth an Axel Tornado to the monster.

She landed hard on the ground, giving a fanged grin as the beast recoiled from the pain. Her smile didn't last as Iblis roared once more and with a swift motion, swung its arms down, spawning a multitude of lava monsters.

_Too easy, this is too easy. C'mon, you can take it. _Blaze began using her body to her advantage, precisely kicking and dancing around her opponents. She made use of her tail, lashing the creatures into ash, swinging her hands out and raising walls of fire. All of her strength being put to the test, and still, Silver hasn't moved from his spot. _Please, Silver... please get up! I don't know how much longer I can keep this up! _She thought, letting her guard down as she glanced at Silver's body.

Bad mistake.

With a cheeky growl, the lava monster lashed its claws at her, forcing her back on the soles of her shoes. The princess cried out from pain, ignoring her bleeding cheek from the claw marks. Blaze shouted as she ran into the crowd of lava monsters, embers trailing behind herself as fire engulfed her body. Not a second went by until Blaze released a powerful surge of Fire Boost energy. Slowing to a halt on the other side of the road behind Iblis, she panted heavily, completely out of energy.

Iblis, however, was far from finished.

Blaze jumped up onto a skyscraper platform just in time to dodge another rain of molten rocks. She fell to her knees, exhausted. To her horror, she watched Iblis make another sixty or so fire monsters, heading straight for Silver's body. She raised her hand to try and send a fireball but stopped upon feeling her own hands singe with a lack of energy. Everything burned, and not in the way she was used to. Wanting to never see the sight of her friend's last moments, Blaze tightly shut her eyes.

The lava monsters began to surround Silver until his entire body was obscured by fire and flickering embers. The heat was excruciating, almost overwhelming. So many beings, so much burning, so... much...

[_My body..! I can't move_]

/You can't move./

[_No. don't even think about it— HNGH!_]

/Think about it./

He starts to feel it. The eyes that were his but not. He wants to scream.

"..It hurts. P-please." He weakly mutters to himself, his voice low and drowsy.

/It hurts?/

"Yes. I don't.. it feels like before."

/Before./

He feels his anger suddenly swell, a tugging at the back of his mind. The darkness of his mind never felt so safe, so... comforting.

/He will win if I fall./

".. He will win if I—Ngh! It burns!"

/Burn./

He feels sleepier, his body going cold despite the heat surrounding him.

/Always. Burning./

He can not stop him.

He opens his eyes.

But he doesn't know it.

_He_ was already sleeping.

He opened his eyes. Gone was the lively innocent gold color in them, and now they were a bright, almost glowing sky blue. The lining in his bracelets brightened from neon cyan to a harsh and rich crimson color. As the monsters engulfed him, a large scarlet orb of light began to shine brightly through the cracks in the monsters, before it blasted them into nothing but pure ash and dust. Silver's body was alit with a bright scarlet aura, wisps of the energy encircling objects as he then threw them towards another large mass of monsters.

The beast raised its fiery limb, swinging it at high velocity at Blaze. Before it could strike her, however, a blade of scarlet energy shot from behind the beast, slicing the molten limb into nothing but ashes. The monster bellowed, turning to Silver and breathing fire. Silver dodged it, forming another psychokinetic blade and slicing the other limbs off.

Iblis roared in agony, turning its attention to the shooter and prepared to strike. It was unable to as another scarlet blade of pure concentrated psychokinetic energy sliced the being in half from the base of its body. It was no longer connected to the fires, rather, split in two and now was nothing more than additional ash on the asphalt.

Blaze, finally opening her eyes, went wide-eyed. He was levitating as if there was nothing wrong with him and was able to perfectly pull off this whole attack, despite being in a practical coma. She knew that this was Silver, to which a part of her was greatly relieved, but his entire being was... off. Not that this was the first time she's seen this side of him.

Silver looked to his friend, seeing a piece of concrete she had jumped on began to crack before breaking off and sending her falling. He caught her before she could even scream from the surprise.

"Precision. That's what you taught me." Silver spoke as he caught Blaze from falling in an aura of warm red. He faintly grinned to his friend, who only gazed in awe at him.

Slowly and carefully, he landed and set Blaze down. The redness faded as they looked at the less-aggressive bubbling pool of lava. The princess releases a shaky breath, crossing her arms as she looked down.

"Good work, Silver."

"Don't thank me. You taught me all I know."

Silver placed a hand on his hip, staring at the lava below. Blaze took a long look at Silver, before turning back to the lava.

"It's so creepy though." He began, closing his eyes as he spoke. The bright red energy that pierced his bracelet linings began to shift to a melancholic purple, then back to bright teal. "We will never fully put an end to it, will we?" He opened his eyes, golden hue back as opposed to the bright and threatening sky blue.

"Silver," Blaze looked to her friend. She noticed this change but said nothing. "We will find a way."

"How then? How will we ever put a complete stop to these flames?" He asked, looking worriedly at his friend.

His question was met with a soft touch on the side of his head. He winced, ears turning back from the pain to which Blaze removed her hand.

"Apologies, Silver. But you are hurt badly."

Silver blinked at her, confused by her statement. Wanting to confirm it, he placed his fingers to his temple and grit his teeth from the pain. He looked down at his fingers, seeing faint bloodstains on the tips of his pristine white gloves.

"Oh... I guess you're right..."

Blaze thought for a moment before looking around the city. Her ears perked up at a sign that read, "Grins Chemist".

"There, we should be able to find something to patch you up in there. C'mon."

In no mood to deny the princess's help, the hedgehog nodded and ran to her side.

* * *

"Now stay still. This will only sting for a second." She warned, sitting on the bench outside with Silver. She poured some hydrogen peroxide onto a cloth and placed it tenderly on his wound.

"Gah! Ouch!" Silver pulled back, wincing from the sharp burning sensation.

Slightly annoyed, Blaze sighed, "Yes, yes, I know, but please. The sooner I clean it, the faster it will be over." There was a hint of softness to her tone, one of a mother and concerned friend.

"R-right, right. Sorry." Silver apologized, feeling a pang of guilt in his chest for making Blaze help him like this. He leaned forward again, allowing Blaze to properly clean and disinfect the scar.

[_I should be stronger.]_

/If you let me control the body, then you would be./

_[I can't risk it, you know that_.]

/It isn't the first time she's seen me, Sliver./

[_Stop calling me that! I don't care how many times she has seen you, no means no_!]

/Hah. You're just afraid of what I'd do to your body, aren't you?/

[_Yes. I mean, no! I can't trust you, Venice._]

The metaphorical fog cleared, revealing a face to go with this 'Venice' individual. He wasn't a hedgehog, but a mink. More than likely taken after Silver's father.

He stood at the same height as Silver with the same quill style but was so different. His chest fur was a royal goldenrod color that stood out against his snow-white fur. His bracelets were black and red instead of gold, as were his gloves save for the three golden bars on his boots and gloves. His eyes were sky blue and his aura was scarlet.

He glared at Silver who stood in front of him.

This was Venice.

/Can't trust me?! I'm the one who saved you and Blaze from Iblis just now, and you're gonna still say you can't trust me?!/

[_How can I trust someone who keeps taking control over me?!_]

Now seeing the clarity of this... other person, Venice, his expression dropped from angry to smug, crossing his arms and approaching Silver's eyesight.

/Oh but you like it when I take over./

/If I didn't, then we would've died back there./

[_You don't know that! I could easily have gotten up and-_]

/No you couldn't./

Silver screws his eyes shut, trying to block out the overwhelming dizziness that grips him. The pain from the wound doesn't bother him anymore, instead, it's the vertigo from _him _trying to be aware at the same time. He puts his palm to his forehead, his body shaking slightly as he tried to push Venice away. He felt so tired yet so awake. What an awful feeling.

To the cat, she knew her friend was acting different. It isn't like this was the first time he has been so silent. Blaze was more than used to the quiet spells when Silver would stare off, and most of the time, he'd snap out of it. To her curiosity, she wondered what was going on with him, yet she never pressured him. That was probably the most unique thing they had together- knowing when and when not to bring up certain things. Where "normal friends" would ask if another was okay at the first sign of strangeness, to Blaze and Silver, it was more of a mutual agreement to not question it.

She won't lie, she was piqued to ask what that change in him was back there. It wasn't the first time he's changed to that form, but it made her even more interested in him. Blaze did resort to automatically assuming that the change in him had to be biological. Perhaps it was some sort of form that kicked in if he was too hurt to battle.

/Remember? It burned. You said so yourself./

[_Venice... stop, please..._]

/Burned like when you saw-/

"I said stop it!" Silver shouted eyes shot open as a violent psychic energy pushed away a stray cabinet he was idly staring at. The cabinet, made of pure metal, crushed in on itself, folding in ways one would think was impossible.

Caught in the wave off to the side, Blaze was pushed back, sliding on the soles of her shoes before balancing herself against the linoleum. She mentally thanked herself that she was finished dressing his wound, but she was more concerned than ever now. She opened her mouth to speak, but the look on Silver's face told her to keep it shut.

"Blaze! A-Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" Silver's expression was nothing more than guilty, jumping to his feet and running to her side.

She stood, staring at him questionably. She knew there was something wrong, something was going on with him. She had to ask.

"Silver... What is wrong with you? You're acting strange." Her question was both blunt and gentle at the same time. Her eyes were stern but worried.

"I..." He began to say but stopped himself, tightly gripping his arm as he stared down. "I think that rock hit my head a little too hard, that's all." He half-heartedly smiled, trying to lie his way through it.

The look on Blaze's face told him she didn't believe him, and she would certainly let him know that. It made him feel even more guilty, breaking his smile and looking away.

"I don't know, Blaze. It's like there's this annoying nagging in my head that I can't block out..." His voice is soft as he runs his fingers through his quills. "It feels like it keeps-" he was cut off, groaning as his head pounded with a migraine.

Blaze gave a heavy sigh, and, against her better judgment, she tried to pass it off. The princess looked to his bandaged head wound, lightly putting her hand on it.

"It is alright if you can't tell me. Or well, if you can't that is." She noticed Silver's innocent golden eyes as he stared into her amber ones. Realizing that she has been far too forward with her actions, she quickly pulls her hand away and clears her throat nervously. "Let's hope you aren't too hurt. If you are, tell me."

"I will Blaze. I promise." Silver watched her walk into the darkness, catching up to her.

"Um... Is that any better?" Blaze asked, her tone was much more smooth, looking to her friend with a raised brow. For a second, she turned to the empty space in front of him where he was staring before it dawned on her that he was simply spacing out. "I hope that rock didn't cause any permanent damage."

To that, Silver blinked a few times, closing his eyes and shaking his head to break his dissociative spell. A wave of vertigo overcame him, then left, as did the slight sting in his eyes from finally blinking.

"No, I'm okay Blaze." He spoke before opening his eyes, smiling at her with that dorky naive grin. "Thank you."

Blaze hated that grin. She hated to love it. His endearing nature was so impossible to miss or pass up, but she made a sound of acknowledgment before standing up and looking around the decrepit pharmaceutical store. She felt... uneasy. As if the very shadows were getting closer.

Feeling unsafe with the shadows, Silver used his telekinesis to light the umbra, piercing the corners with the palm of his hands. There was a heavy sort of mist hazing on the tile floor. It felt like the walls had eyes, all around the two of them they stared from the shadows. Darkness never felt so threatening, yet so welcoming.

"Blaze? What is this?" Silver stopped, slightly kneeling to fan the mist around as it grew denser.

"Most likely smoke from outside." Blaze replied to him, watching as he did so.

"It seems too thick to be regular smoke..."

Silver couldn't help but feel as if he was being watched, somewhere in the shadows. Was it a monster? Some sort of helpless victim?

He thought ahead, stepping in front of Blaze and holding his hand out to illuminate the way. His eyes widened at the sight of two void-like emerald eyes as a black and green hedgehog stepped out of the darkness.

Blaze was instantly alarmed, ears pinned back and tail lashing with uncertainty. She took a step back, as did Silver when the hedgehog approached the two of them.

"Finally. I have been searching for far too long." He "spoke" with no mouth. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Silver blinked, glancing a confused expression to his friend before looking back to the hedgehog. "Um, excuse me, are you lost?" He asked, trying to ignore the state of shock in his chest.

The hedgehog slowly looked up to Silver, gold meeting rich emerald. "I see..." He spoke, "You're the hero of the future."

"What are you talking about? Who are you" Blaze replied for Silver, standing next to him and glaring down the hedgehog.

"Ah yes, forgive me. My name is Mephiles and I know why your world is in such a chaotic state."


	3. Libra

"The Iblis Trigger. That is the one responsible for your collapsing future." Is what Mephiles told Silver. Despite the annoying screaming at him from Venice, Silver agreed to help, determined to put an end to all the suffering and chaos of his world. Perhaps he can stop the flames from ravishing his future, or maybe he could prevent them from ever existing. What he wasn't counting on was the teleportation orb created by Mephiles, sending him through a strange tunnel fully powered by chaos energy.

He managed to just barely land on his feet, panting heavily from the vertigo that coursed through his body. He kept his eyes shut, not wanting to look at the spinning world around him. He heard the portal close and fell on his back. His world was tilted with new smells, different noises... it was all constricting his senses. He didn't know such an intense feeling of disorientation could exist. His stomach felt sick and his head ached from the portal's chaos energy. It would fade, it has to.

When he was certain that the world was no longer spinning uncontrollably around him, he tried opening his eyes. It took him a second to focus his vision, but when he did, his eyes widened. The sky wasn't black and warm with volcano ash, instead, it was blue. Bright cerulean!

/A blue sky./  
[ _ It... It's beautiful... _]

Both he and Venice were speechless, laying in the lush verdant grass and staring at the clear blue sky. White strips of fluffy clouds drifted by as the faint sound of wind rustled the leaves on the trees. His fingers traced the blades of grass he was laying on, taking in all of this overstimulation.

This was grass. He muttered as he picked a blade of grass from the ground, staring at it curiously. The rich green hue of just one strand was mesmerizing! Such a sturdy piece of vegetation! It was so interesting! The hedgehog let it fly off into the breeze, eyes drifting back to the blue sky.

[_ Did we really travel back in time?]  
_/We had to. Grass and blue skies don't exist where we're from./

Silver carefully stood up, balancing himself on a nearby tree and waiting for any remaining dizziness to fade. He continued to stare at the beauty of this world.

"This place is... unbelievable." He muttered. "Blaze, what do you-"

He turned back, his ears going back slightly before he took a few steps forward.

"Blaze?" He waited for a reply before taking a few more steps forward, calling out her name. "Blaze!"

No response.

/We got separated.../  
[ _ Right, okay, get it together Silver! Remember what Mephiles said, "destroy the Iblis Trigger."]  
_ /You're so stupid... you'll really believe some stranger who approaches you and tells you to kill someone?/  
[ _ He said if I do that, then he can save our future, Venice!]  
_ /Do you even know who that is?!/  
/Aha, I forgot, you don't remember what he did to.../

Silver stumbled back from the disorientation as Venice yelled at him. He could feel it, the burning in his wrists and legs, the feeling of being pulled back, the exhaustion. It's burning again, the narcolepsy, wanting to sleep. His back hit a tree with a soft thud as he shut his eyes.

/No! You won't kill anyone! You don't know what you're doing by listening to him!/  
[ _ Venice, stop... _ !]  
/You know who he is too! Remember? It burned? Yeah, he was the cause of.../

"Um... excuse me?" A soft female voice spoke up from the dissociated haze.

As Silver opened his eyes, he moved his hand away from his face. He blinked a few times, noticing that the once cyan circular symbol engraved in his hands were now scarlet. He was asleep, that's right...

"Are you feeling alright? You look tired. Do you need help?"

Finally, Silver- no, _Venice_\- looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a bright pink female hedgehog, close to his age with a red dress and matching boots and a hairband. Her eyes were a soft green hue and her hair was short, framing her face perfectly.

"Oh," Venice spoke before clearing his throat. He had to get used to speaking again, especially in front of strangers. "Yes, I am fine." His voice was less like Silver's, about a few pitches lower and with a stern tone. Thankfully, it didn't give him too heavy of a feeling of derealization.

"Are you sure? You look confused." The girl wondered, tapping her finger on her cheek. "Do you know where you are?"

Venice nodded, looking around. The place was the same before they switched, the same blue sky and green grass. The hedgehog felt the breeze against his own skin, not feeling it through Silver this time. He took a deep breath in, admiring how clean and crisp the air was. It wasn't heavy with smoke! This place was... wait, what was this place?

"This place, what is it called?" He looked to the young girl who still watched him carefully.

"Soleanna. Well, we're in the forest just outside of the city."  
"The forest..?"  
"Yes, the forest. Soleanna Forest. Do you remember how you got here?"

Venice thought before smiling and snapping his fingers. "Right! A forest! That's what it's called!" He turned away from the hedgehog, about to run off towards the large bout of trees in another direction. If Mephiles brought him here, then he must be in this 'Soleanna', right? He might be able to put an end to him!

"Hey! Wait a second!" The girl exclaimed, grabbing his arm and holding him back. "You aren't going anywhere until I make sure you're okay!"

Venice glared at the girl. Why was she getting in the way? Why did it matter what he did? The only person who ever cared was Blaze, and chaos knows where she is! Maybe he could find her, too..? Before he could get more into his thoughts, the stranger spoke up again.

"Now, are you okay? Does your head hurt?" She asked with a genuine tone. "When I saw you, you were clutching the sides of your head like you were in pain. Did you hit it on anything?"

Venice turned to face the girl, rubbing the sides of his head as she mentioned. "No? I'm fine."

"Well yeah, now you seem to be! But you didn't look like you were." She insisted. "...How did you get here? I don't think I've ever seen a white hedgehog before."

He didn't make eye contact this time, looking at his arms in order to confirm that, yes, that was Silver's fur color, albeit a tad light gray. Venice's fur was warmer in tone, a very pale white orange. He could feel that separated feeling again, that dissociation.

"What's your name? Have you been here before?"

"Sil-" he stopped the other one from answering, shaking his head before pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Venice. And no." He had grown far too used to pretending to be Silver for Blaze. But here, he was with people he didn't know. He could be honest, and maybe keep Silver from following that betrayer's words.

"Venice? That's a nice name. I am Amy." She smiled, tilting her head at his actions. "Maybe you should come with me, I can show you around."

She took his hand, gently guiding him as they began to walk off.

* * *

The city of Soleanna was gorgeous, to say the least. Besides the blue sky, there were numerous buildings that lined the roadsides, all decorated and expertly crafted. There were nautical vessels surrounding the edges of the sidewalks, a marina of sorts, most likely used for trading and fishing. Many people were walking around with smiles on their faces as they held the hands of their loved ones. Things neither Venice nor his host had seen before. It took all of his willpower to keep from jumping into the ocean or running around with wide-eyed childish wonder, amazed at all the new scenery.

"Does this place seem familiar?" Amy asked, spinning to face him, her eyes bright and smiling. She watched as the hedgehog stood a few steps away from her, eyes fixed on the sky before he looked at the marina.

"Wow..." He finally spoke, nearly breathless. "This place is absolutely stunning." A smile spread across his face, sky blue eyes shining with amazement as he ran up to Amy like an excited child. "This architecture is like something I'd read in old fantasy books! The air is crisp, the sound of water is so captivating! How did you find such a wondrous place like this? Do you live here?"

"I see that you certainly aren't from Soleanna!" Amy could only giggle at how excited he seemed to get at such small things. She looked at him and shook her head, responding with, "Oh no! I don't live here. I'm visiting with my friends for the Festival of the Sun!"

Venice nodded before tilting his head to the side and screwing his brows together. Despite his confusion, he still had a smile. "What's the Festival of the Sun?"

"It is a local festival where the whole city pays respect and worship to Solaris, some sort of sun god!" She laughed at his expression.

"A sun god?" Venice scratched his cheek, his smile fading as he tried to think.

"Hmm... I can explain it to you later. What do you say we visit the marina?"

"Oh! Yes! Can we please?" His grin reappeared, as perky as ever.

Something about this odd fellow piqued Amy's interest. She hasn't been this curious about someone since she met Shadow! Someone who didn't seem to understand such a simplistic city? Or small things like changes in air or seeing the seas? Maybe this Venice guy was new or a tourist! If that was the case, then she should show him the best spots in town!

With care and glee, she took his hand and lead him to one of the many docks at the end of the city. The large water vessels were moving up and down gently from the waves, the splashing of the ocean hitting the legs of the dock, the gentle hues of sea-green and cobalt blue were mixed so delicately in the water, not to mention how clear it was for an ocean.

"From what I heard, Soleanna is called the City of Water because of all of the ships and docks that surround it."

Venice leaned over the railing at the side of the dock, staring with disbelief at the water below. It was so alive, so animated! Ocean spray was cold and wet, a stark contrast from the heat and ash of his world. This was... beyond breathtaking. He could hardly believe he was in reality right now- this was like a dream!  
The only thing he disliked was his reflection. It wasn't his own. The body was Silver's, and yet, despite the change in eye and energy colors, this body felt and looked nothing like his own. He touched his chest fur a handful of times as if to confirm that, yes, this was Silver's body and not his own. It made him feel dizzy for a moment from derealization. He reminded himself that Silver was asleep, that their bodies were different, and so were their motives. His train of thought seemed to have been cut off by a discomfort in his stomach as it grumbled.

"Oh? Are you hungry?" Amy asked with a slight snicker.

"Uh..." Obviously embarrassed, Venice rubbed his arm as a slight blush tinted his cheeks. "Um, I, well..."

"We can go get some lunch! I'm feeling kinda hungry too!" Amy gave him a kind grin, taking his hand and leading him away from the docks.

* * *

The niche outdoor-style restaurant was slightly speckled with customers here and there. Many were humans, so Amy and Venice definitely stood out from the crowd. This place was a pretty popular lunch spot for Soleanna, it had a great view of the ocean as well, which made it a very elegant spot to be in. Soleanna was, in and of itself, just that: elegant.  
Amy watched as Venice finished his second plate of salad and readied to dig into his third. She was taken aback by how ravenous he was, almost as if he hadn't eaten in a while. It made her wonder if he was homeless or poor? It would make sense, he _ was _ in the forest and looked pretty lost…

"This is amazing! I know I keep saying that, but who knew you could throw these round chewy things-"  
"Berries."  
"These weirdly shaped hard things-"  
"Almonds."  
"Some circular red slices of… some weird looking rings-"  
"Tomato. It's a fruit."  
"On top of some green crunchy water plates and make it into food?!"  
"Lettuce." Amy corrected, taking a bit of her own salad, "Have you really never had a salad before?"

"Oh! Is that what this is called?" He put all four things he listed onto his fork and took a bite, happily muttering something about how delicious it was. He finally looked at Amy who was giving him a slightly demeaning look. "What?"

"No offense, but do you have no manners?"

Venice tilted his head, giving her a questionable look to which she sighed and shook her head. Something about her demeanor made him feel slightly embarrassed.

"You boys…" She took a sip of her water before looking at his hands and bracelets. It made her curious, it seemed quite interesting like a piece of new technology… if it even was a technological set of jewelry. "So, where did you get those bracelets? And please swallow your food before you say anything."

Venice swallowed his food and paused for a second, looking down at his wrists. The crimson chaos energy seemed to glow and dim with his heartbeat. It was easy to miss if you weren't paying close attention to it; but it always reminded Venice of something- Mephiles made them. He locked them into place, he infused them with some sort of power that limited overuse of his powers. But how? How did he know this body, Silver's body, had powers? Or himself? How could Mephiles know that? Let alone know the exact location where his psychokinetic power points were in order to cast that unique color?

Amy hummed, thinking to herself, "Hmm, I wonder if it was from a secret jeweler! They're so pretty, I'm sure with them being the same color as rings, then they would certainly get Sonic's attention!"

[_ Venice, give me control back _ !]  
/I can't, not yet. Not until I make sure _ he _ isn't here./  
[ _ Who? Mephiles _?]

The hedgehog looked around at the restaurant in mounting anxiety, seeing the dark shadows in the corners made him incredibly afraid… and antsy. He clenched his fists, scarlet energy beginning to wisp around his hands slightly. His stare was distant, glaring at the darkened corners of the room. He felt so enclosed, just like back then, in _ his _ prison. Those crystalline walls, the darkness, the cold air. Just those memories made him feel sick... sick and terrified.

[_ Mephiles isn't a bad guy, Venice. He just wants some help _ .]  
/You're stupid if you actually think that./  
[ _ How would you know? You weren't even there _ !]  
/Yes I was!/

"Venice?" Amy waved her hand in front of him, getting his attention. "You alright?"

"Yes, I am." His voice was distant and not at all there.

"Venice?"

"I'm just making sure that-"

"Venice!"

His eyes finally left the dark corners as awareness finally smacked him back into reality. He looked to Amy who was staring in shock at what she saw. The plates, silverware, and cups were covered in a psychic crimson energy, levitating them off of the table. Upon realization, he quickly dropped his power, causing the objects to fall on the table with a clatter.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!"  
"Y… You did that?"  
"You're not hurt, right? I don't even remember doing anything, I-"

Venice's attention was then brought to the customers and staff who stared at him in confusion and astonishment, which only heightened the embarrassment. His ears flattened as he fidgeted with his fingers in nervousness.

"That was so cool!" Amy spoke up, staring at him with a wide grin. "I didn't know you had powers!"

"Yeah, I…" He stopped himself. He was starting to become hyper-aware of this timeline. This was the past. Things like telekinesis couldn't be heard of back in here, right? There was no one else with powers like his. He couldn't just sell himself out in front of total strangers in the past, it could cause some sort of anomaly, right? It was beginning to seem that there were so many questions and not enough answers.

Amy looked at the crowd that was beginning to grow around them. Customers and staff asking about his powers and wondering if he could move things again, followed by the manager demanding what the issue was. Sensing her friend's anxiety, the pink hedgehog kindly apologized and pardoned herself and her awkward friend as they left the restaurant.

* * *

It was harder and harder to keep conscious now for Venice. He felt like he was fading from being awake, most likely due to the slight discomfort in his stomach from having eaten so much food in one sitting. He wasn't used to meals, let alone an entire plate of food to himself. It made him miss Blaze, making his mind wander as he stared at the ocean from the marina. He wondered if she was hungry or if she was safe.

Amy enjoyed the cool sea breeze in the air as she sat next to Venice, their legs hanging off the dock's side swinging idly.

"Aside from having mind powers," the hedgehog spoke up, "what else haven't you told me?"

Venice kept his gaze on the ocean below as waves elegantly splashed against the pier. He was finding it much harder to focus, feeling like he would fall asleep at any given moment. No, he didn't want Silver to kill anyone! He couldn't risk it, now wasn't the time to fall asleep.

He groaned, putting his hand to his head as dizziness washed over him.

"Oh dear, are you alright?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

Amy thought for a moment before smiling and standing up, helping Venice to his feet.

"C'mon, you can rest at my camp. I have someone I need to go talk to anyway."

Venice shook his head nervously, "Oh no no! You don't need to do that! I-I'll be alright!"

"And just where will you go then? Do you have a safe place to rest at?" She gave him a teasing yet knowing smile.

Venice looked down, defeated as he rubbed his arm. "No…"

"Thought so! Now, as long as you don't lift my tent into the air while you're asleep, then you're welcome to rest there!" She stated, taking his hand and guiding him back near the forest.

Once they were back, Amy fixed up her tent and made him a niche little bed made of spare blankets.

"There! Take as long of a nap as you want, okay?" She smiled, then laughed as Venice stared at the sky again.

"Oh uh, right, thanks." He returned her smile, crawling inside of her tent.

Amy gave him one last giggle before zipping up the front panel and running off.

_ /This is amazing. Who knew that a piece of long cloth held up by sticks and weighed down by rocks can make a shelter?/ _

He felt the softness of the blankets, smiling to himself and he curled up within them and wrapping them around himself. This was so different from Crisis City. Everyone is happy, there's no fire, no pain… not to mention how nice complete strangers like Amy are. Never before has he met someone so warm and kind other than Blaze.

/Blaze.../  
_ [Go to sleep _ .]  
/Silver… don't hurt these people./  
[ _ Hurt _ .]  
/Don't… Please don't./  
[ _ Let me wake up _.]


	4. Quixotic

"This city is home to Iblis, the monster that had killed your family." The shadow spoke as the shorter, skinnier hedgehog stood on the barren apocalyptic street. "Iblis has caused immense disaster among the land, as you are quite obviously aware of."

Silver, no more than around eight-years-old, was right beside the darkened area next to him. The young hedgehog took in what he was saying, trying to think through everything he was being told. Picking up a piece of charred rock, he felt each side. Ashy particles stripping off the corners as his fingers lightly touched it.

"Why? Why would it destroy things?" His voice was soft, pondering.

"Because Iblis wishes to see mortal life come to an end." The mobian-like being stepped out, arms crossed as it looked at the ashen sky. "It is a mindless killing machine hell-bent on the extinction of mortals." His eyes fell to a lone group of survivors in the distance.

"If all it cares about is killing us, then how do we stop it?" He stood, turning to face the being. "Is there a way to stop it?"

A pregnant pause, a gust of embers wafting through the wind, heat trailing close by. The shadowy being turned to face him, rich verdant eyes locked with his golden ones as he replied, "You. You have the power to stop it."

This wasn't the first time Silver had heard this answer. Every question he asked about Iblis came to some sort of prophecy talk. It was getting annoying never having a straight answer.  
"But... But what can I do? I don't have any powers."

Mephiles hummed before taking a step back into the darkness, vanishing into nothing. "We will see about that."

Suddenly, a bright white-hot flash of light appeared in front of the hedgehog. As the light faded, three minions of Iblis appeared, a fiery demon-like hellspawn with a maw of razor-sharp teeth, a bird with a flame body, and a molten rock golem. Flames bursting from blisters on the entities, embers forming a thick haze as the heat increased.

Silver felt his heart nearly stop when he saw the towering beasts. Fearing he would be killed, he desperately cried out, "Gah! M-Mephiles! Help!" He backed up as the darkness behind him faded from the light of the fire. He was alone with monsters.

His heart raced, his breath was labored as he grabbed some stray rocks, eyes squinted to try and alleviate the heat as he concentrated. Despite being so young, he was taught by Mephiles to be a relentless warrior, never giving up until he was on the brink of death. Even if he didn't have powers, this was his life. This was how he had to survive. He counted himself lucky that he had so many rocks to throw. But still, that anxiety of not having enough power to destroy these minions seeped into his chest. He felt alone, facing a world no one can possibly live in.

...Then he heard the screams of the survivors. The people begging for help as the fire crackled. He couldn't see them, but he knew they were there. Monsters don't make human noises. It gave him a reason to fight, a reason to destroy these beasts to make it safe for other unfortunate victims of this post-apocalyptic world. This would be his chance. A chance to prove that he can save these people and prove that he's strong!

"A-Alright, Iblis..." He grabbed more rocks, as much as he could hold, "come and get me!" He shouted, throwing them at the three beings.

He had to save them, he had to, he needed to save these poor people. After All, that was what gave him hope, encouragement from Mephiles to save his world. That with his endurance and perseverance, he'll save his future.

The victims screamed in agony before flames and rock enveloped them. The air smelled of sulfur and burning flesh, ash rained thick as smoke draped the street. The blunt force from the rocks didn't do anything but give them more armor, of course... Iblis _was _made of magma.

"No! You will not take another person!" Silver shouted, grabbing a handful of rocks and hurling them at the minion. It was at this moment he desperately wished he had some sort of power, something of use other than screaming, throwing things, and putting himself in danger. Not to mention Mephiles- where the heck was he? Usually, when he's stuck in situations like this, he would bail him out! Why not now!?

All the while, an entity watched from the darkness. A being perfect at exploiting the kindness and naivety of others. His verdant eyes stared with amusement as the not-yet-awakened psychic tossed sharpened rocks at the "enemy".  
Little did the hedgehog know, the "enemy" was an illusion. A couple of darkened instruments created by Mephiles to create some... fun for the puppet master. A tool manipulated by the shadow demon.

That unsettling voice spoke up from the darkness. "Silver." Green eyes lit from the darkness like night vision, peering with an unreadable expression at the child. It was beginning to seem impossible to force the awakening of this hedgehog's power. He had tried everything except for psychological torture. Perhaps that is the next step.  
"It is over."

Silver coughed as the smoke thickened around himself, forcing him to shut his eyes. It began to fade at his command, revealing the horrific scene- three survivors, the ones that he previously saw, lay disfigured and bloody on the street. Cause of death: lapidation, third-degree burns, and blunt force trauma.  
He stared at the blood that painted the asphalt, rocks, and debris scattering onto the pool below. The reality of what he had just done began to sink in. He was... tricked into murdering survivors of Iblis, a "playful prank" conceived by the shadow that lurked behind him. The heat of the remaining embers felt so cold.

"Wh... what is this...?" He backed up a few steps before feeling the chill of darkness at his back.

"Yes, Silver. Bravo." the shadow clapped slowly as the form stepped out of the thick darkness of the heavy smoke. "You are starting to understand the first rule of survival: kill or be killed."

"I... Mephiles!" He turned to face him, eyes full of panic and trauma at what he had just done, "I'm seeing things, aren't I? Those WEREN'T people! They were monsters! Iblis's monsters!"

"Monsters? They look like monsters to you?" The shadow's stare was non-judgemental, stoic almost. "What monsters look mobian?"

Silver clenched his fists as he growled. He knew Mephiles could distort certain things but it was never... like _this_.  
"No! They weren't mobian, they were monsters! Hellish abominations cloaked in rock and fire, just like you said before!" He ran at the shadow but soon found himself restrained by invisible dark ropes, forcing his body to the ground.

Verdant eyes brightened through the pitch-black void, staring into the young hedgehog's yellow eyes.  
"Oh Silver... how pathetic you are. Mistaking the appearance of those who are alive for those of monsters." The shadowy ropes tightened, almost choking the child. "You're the worst person in this future. I saw your smile as you threw rocks at them. You enjoyed spilling their blood and listening to them suffer. Face it, you may have just snuffed out the lives of the last remaining survivors of your future." The ropes vanished, darkness slowly lifting as Silver coughs and tries to catch his breath.

_Is that... Is that what happened? Did I do that? No, I can't mistake that! They looked so real, they were monsters! They weren't... they weren't..._

The young hedgehog turned to the gruesome scene, noticing that these once "monsters" were indeed real mobians. Not magma or sharp obsidian, but once flesh and bone. Memories and personality. Survivors and citizens just like himself. He took a step back as he tried to grasp the severity of what he just did. He began to question his sanity, his own understanding of what he _thought _monsters were.

_Murder. A hero isn't supposed to murder. I murdered people. I murdered three people. They looked like monsters, they WERE monsters. They were Iblis's minions!... Right?_

Mephiles stood in the shadows, watching and nodding slowly to himself. His manipulation was working, surely twisting his puppet inside and making him doubt his vision. How intriguing the minds of mortals were, so easy to believe that their eyes deceived them, even if it wasn't their eyes or minds that tricked them in the first place. Especially this naive child. Surely breaking his mental stability will make him more likely to do his bidding.

Silver couldn't speak, rather his breath hitched as he fell to his hands and knees, retching at his disgust at himself for his actions. Tears fell from his eyes as he tightly shut them. He couldn't stand the sight, the mangled bodies, blood leaking from the wounds, the third-degree burns. The sight was nauseating, pure abhorrence- **vile**.

_How could I do this..?  
_  
The shadow walked closer and stopped a few inches in front of the tortured teen. He snapped his fingers, shadowy appendages crushing the rock and bodies into ash, dragging them into the molten earth below. The being then turned to Silver, eyeing his weakened state as he reached a hand out, rubbing his back to lure in a false sense of safety. He looked at his inhibitor bracelets, still seeing no color, which meant no chaos energy. He wasn't ready.

"What's the matter, my weapon? You said you are willing to save the future..." the darkness began to expand, engulfing the young hedgehog into the sea of black, "at any price." The figure knelt in front of the child. "You may be pathetically weak, but I will show you how to awaken your true potential. Do you believe me?"

Silver sniffled, shaking his head as he resisted the urge to vomit. "I can't… I…" He threw his hands to his face, screaming and crying from the overwhelming emotions swirling in him. "There are more survivors, right? P-please... I need to know..." He sniffled, looking up at his inconceivable ally.

"Is there anybody else around here? Come now, you are smarter than that." The voice was so… coldly soothing. Gentle, yet gruff. Very manipulative. But he had a point. Who else was left? Those survivors, they may have been the last in Crisis City. Now that they were… well… gone, he had no one. No one else to go to. He couldn't just fly off or run away.  
No, not with Mephiles. Mephiles was…

Silver stifled a sob before shakingly wrapping his arms around the shadow. He cried into his arms, shaking and clinging onto him. His only other connection to life, the only person he had to help him grow up, to teach him how to properly live in the city. If he didn't have Mephiles, he had no one… and that is what he feared the most. Being alone.

"Little weapon," Mephiles cooed to the small child, stroking his back quills down from their defensive and spiked position, "you still have so much to learn. Living in a destroyed future… I will make sure that you grow up learning how to protect yourself." He gently pulled Silver away, wiping the tears from his cheek and staring down at him in pity. "And you will follow my lessons. Understood?"

"Y… Yes, Mephiles..."

_"Venice?"_

_"Venice?"_

_"Venice!"_

***splash!***

Venice gasped from the shock of cold saltwater having been splashed onto his face, coughing and sputtering as he rubbed his eyes. Sky blue was back to bright gold, scarlet energy colors reverted to bright mint. He tried to recall this person's name but it was escaping him. How long has he been asleep?

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake! I was getting worried!" Amy gave him a relieved smile, setting her small cup down in her tent, "sorry for splashing you, but you kept screaming and weren't waking up."

Amy curiously took the hedgehog's hand, inspecting the bracelet and the color. "Wow, it's like the red color changed based on your emotions! You still need to tell me who made these for you!" The giddy hedgehog took his hand, rubbing the metallic sheen of the bracelets.

Panicked, he throws his arm out defensively, cloaking the hedgehog in a bright cyan energy. He levitates out of her tent, holding her in the air as she squeaks in fear.

"Who are you and where am I?" He demands.

"W-what..? You know who I am!" She struggles against the psychokinetic grip, green eyes locked onto the silver hedgehog.

"Enough! Where is the Iblis Trigger?!"  
"Iblis… Trigger?"  
"Don't play stupid! Where is-"

/Stop! Let her go!/

"Agh!"

A painful surge of discomfort to his temples forced Silver to weaken his grip on the girl. She panted, able to breathe a little bit easier within the aura.

"Venice, enough! Let me down!"

[_Venice? She's met you?!_]

No response.

His fingers relaxed, dropping Amy to her knees as she looked at him in a unique mix of fear and fury. Once her heartbeat became regulated and no longer quick and panicked, she stood up.

"What was that about?!"

Silver looked away feeling that dissociated fog lift once more. Venice knew this girl, but how? He was here the whole time, right? But he didn't remember anything… that seemed impossible. How did he lose an entire half a day of memories?

Amy put her hands on her hips, stopping over to the light gray hedgehog, "If you suddenly have your memories back or something, that's fine, but don't you ever-"

"Silver."  
"...What?"  
"My name is Silver. Not Venice."

Amy blinked a few times. This person, Silver, admittedly was quite different from the Venice she had met just three hours ago. It was beyond strange, so many questions and yet no answers. Her eyes fell to his bracelets and the colored energy pulsating softly. She reached her hand out to touch the faintly glowing hue, but he pulled away apprehensively.

"I've always had them." He, Silver, finally spoke. His voice was different from Venice's in terms of weightlessness and calmness. There wasn't that slight gruffness added, instead a more carefree and kindhearted individual was present. He looked at the colored lines of subtle pulsating aqua energy.

They were a different color, that's what this girl said... was Venice in control of the colors? He looked at Amy quizzically. And who is this girl? Why did Venice know her?

"You mentioned memories." He added, gold eyes staring through Amy.

Amy blinked then thought for a second, "well, Silver, you uh seemed very lost and confused when I met you."

"We aren't confused." He stated, almost cutting her off. "I… I'm not confused." He corrected himself. "I'm looking for someone known as the Iblis Trigger. Do you know where it is?"

"What is an Iblis Trigger?"

"It's something that destroyed my world." He stated coldly, his eyes dark as he clenched his fists. "I was told by someone named Mephiles that the Iblis Trigger is responsible. Whether it is a living person or some sort of event, I need to stop it."

Amy paused, thinking for a second before clapping her hands together. "I know who can help!" She smiled, taking Silver's hand as she continued, "Sonic! He knows everyone! He can help you find this troublemaker and put an end to it!"

Silver stumbled forward as he was practically dragged along by his acquaintance.

/Amy isn't a bad person./  
[_Why did you have to take over?! I told you to not do that!_]  
/Well I won't let you kill someone just because that liar says to!/  
[_Mephiles said that the Iblis Trigger is responsible for the state of our world, Venice! What about that don't you understand?!_]  
/Oh, I understand it, I understand that you're too naive to make decisions for yourself!/

"Silver!" Amy raised her voice, squeezing his hand. "Are you alright?"

The light gray hedgehog shook his head, clearing himself of that thick haze of dissociation. He blinked a few times before looking down at the hand Amy was holding. His eyes then met her own, making her smile slightly.

"I... Yes, I'm fine. Just..." He groaned, frustrated as his state of confusion and fugue-induced state. "I need to find the Trigger then go back home." He took some steps ahead of her, wanting to lose her so he would no longer be bothered.

"Wait, Silver!" Amy called out as she caught up to him.

Too much wishful thinking.

He didn't low his stride, rather he continued to walk even as Amy walked in front of him, her bubbly smile and cheerful personality wanting to help this lost Mobian in a sea of humans. While he wasn't bothered by humans (having been used to them in his future), Amy was quite insecure about being alone in Soleanna especially without Sonic. Not to mention, Silver was lost. That begged the question...

"Where exactly _is_ your home?" Her voice was softer than before as she looked up at the partly cloudy sky.

Silver looked at her before uneasily fidgeting with his fingers. He wasn't even sure how to respond to such a question. This _was _the past. Time travel would seem completely imaginative, right?

"Somewhere far away." He replied as he looked at the beautiful nature to his right. This time was so alive, so vibrant... it almost left him speechless.

"How far away? Do you know how you got here?" She turned to look at him, now walking backward as if she traveled this path before.

"I..." He stopped himself, swallowing back his anxiety before speaking up again, "I traveled through time. My home is called Crisis City. Well, I've always called it that. I don't know if it has an actual real name or..."

His voice trailed off as he stopped walking. Now he was face to face with a wide-eyed and more-amazed-than-ever Amy who was in a state of pure shock.

"No way! You're a time traveler?! I didn't even know that was real! I thought it only existed in fairytales!" She squealed, taking his hands and jumping up and down. "Promise me you'll take me to a cool timeline sometime soon?"

Silver nervously chuckled, taking a step back. "W-Well I would, but it's not that simple."

"Nonsense! You came from the future! Surely you can take me back in time or- OH! Maybe you can bring me to your future! I would love to see what type of-"

"No!" Silver interrupted her, his voice rose slightly as he grit his teeth. "I mean... no. It's too dangerous."

"Oh.. I'm sorry." Amy rubbed her arm and looked away.

Sensing her disappointment, he gave her a slight grin. "But if we can find the Iblis Trigger, and destroy it, then I will take you to a safe timeline." He chuckled, scratching his cheek in uncertainty. "If I can figure out how..." He muttered under his breath.

Amy nodded, making a pinky promise with him. "It's a promise then!" *** * ***

Through an oasis known as Dusty Desert came a place in Soleanna named Castle Town. The town was quiet, relaxed, and had a large amount of space for what seemed like an outdoor area. A Beautiful harbor at the forefront decorated in silver architecture and bridges, accompanied by the occasional gondola rides from one part of the harbor to another. This was truly the city of water, and it was gorgeous. It caught Silver's eyes and made him fall in love with the past. It was so different, so... not on fire.

"I wonder where Sonic is..." Amy murmured, walking carefree and totally relaxed through the city. "He told me to meet him here..." She stopped, looking out to the harbor with her finger on her chin.

Footsteps. The sound of two voices. Getting closer.

"Sonic!" Amy took notice of the noise and ran to meet one of the beings.

Silver turned then went wide-eyed at the people: a human female and a blue mobian hedgehog.

_"To fix this present timeline, you need to change the past." Mephiles gazed upon the very young teenager he had met so long ago. He guided them into his database on the outskirts of the city. "In order to change the past, you must eliminate the individual who has awakened Iblis. The Iblis Trigger."_

_"The Iblis... Trigger?" Silver wondered, thinking as he closed his eyes._

_"Yes. They are responsible for the Day of Disaster." _

_Silver looked to Blaze who glanced away as Mephiles resumed speaking, "That day is when everything fell apart, when Iblis was freed. All because of one person and their selfish desires."_

_/You can't trust him Silver, don't!/  
[Venice, I need to! He knows so much about Iblis and the past. If I do something about it-]  
/He's tricking you, you idiot! He can't be trusted!/  
[And someone who can take over my body can?]  
/.../_

_Silver closed his eyes now that his mind was quiet. He thought, taking everything in._

_"If I eliminate this guy, will our world be saved?"_

_Mephiles nodded before turning on one of his monitors.  
"This was when Iblis was freed and his flames were released into the world." Images of a once perfect city burning in flames flashed by, burning bodies, collapsed buildings... apocalyptic._

_"This is horriffic." Blaze said softly, watching the images on the screen. Granted, they were used to such dark imagery, but this..._

_The shadowy being pulled a violet chaos emerald from his quills and turned to Silver. "And you have this person to blame."_

_Apprehensively, Silver took the emerald and gazed inside. An image of a blue hedgehog with red sneakers and green eyes appeared in his mind's eye. _

_"That blue hedgehog is the cause?" He turned to Mephiles._

_"Blue hedgehog...?" Blaze questioned, crossing her arms as she gave Silver a quizzical glance._

"Watch out!" The blue hedgehog shouted, picking up the elegant female human and jumping out of the way of a psychic blast.

"Silver! What're you doing?!" Amy shouted as she grabbed Silver's arm.

The light gray hedgehog shoved her off, making her fall back as he cloaked himself in a light teal aura and levitated in front of the two beings.

"I've been looking for you. You're the Iblis Trigger." He landed in front of them, bright energy glowing in his palms as he pointed to the one Amy called Sonic, that blue hedgehog. "Your actions will condemn us all."

The one named Sonic got in front of the female, protecting her as he took in Silver's appearance and voice. "Who are you?"

"My name is Silver. For the future of the world, I will destroy you!" He clenches his fists, getting into a battle stance.

Sonic looked to Elise, gesturing her to back up before flashing her a snarky grin. "Alright then, Silver," he started flicking his nose in overconfidence, "bing it on!"

Amy watched in disbelief, unable to do anything as the two dashed at each other.

Silver threw his hands out, grabbing a multitude of objects and throwing them at Sonic. Some hit, making him trip, but he managed to counter with a well-timed spindash that knocked Silver back. Using his telekinesis, he grabbed Sonic and flew upwards. He then grabbed his telekinetic 'rope' that held Sonic and threw him into the ground, causing a resounding rumble and multitude of rocks from the now destroyed concrete and pavement propelled upwards. He grabbed the rocks with his powers and began to throw them at the blue hedgehog.  
Sonic groaned from the impact but quickly got up to avoid further injury. He jumped, using the rocks as a sort of platform before kicking Silver to the ground, leaving him vulnerable.

With a quick movement, Sonic dashed away from Silver, skidding on the pavement as he picked up a piece of rocky debris. "Throwing things is the way you wanna go, eh? Well alright then! Two can play that game!"

Surprised, Silver grabbed a nearby table to shield himself from an attack. Sonic lept into the air, jumping off of the table Silver had lifted, and chucked the rock at his temple, immediately dropping all telekinetic ability. Sonic landed and ran towards him, but didn't count on being thrown to the side of a building with a harsh psychic energy.  
Weakened, Sonic fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath as Silver (ignoring the bruise on the side of his head) walked over to him.

"Hmph. Is this some sort of joke?" He bent down to Sonic's level, quite surprised at how weak this guy was. Surely he wasn't _this _easy to beat, right? "How could someone like _you_ cause the destruction of our world?"

"W-What do you mean?" Sonic lifted his head to the other hedgehog.

"It doesn't matter." Silver shook his head as he began to power up a psychic ball of concentrated light in his palm and straightened up, "For the sake of the future, the Iblis Trigger must be destroyed!"

His concentration was thrown off by the harsh sound of screaming. Screaming from that elegantly dressed woman that caught the attention of the two hedgehogs. Robotic arms grabbed her and lifted her into the air, chuckling from a hearty man in the mobile that controlled said arms echoed as he began to fly away.

"Elise!" Sonic jumped to his feet, running after the girl.

Swiftly, Silver threw his hand out, sending a blast of telekinesis at Sonic, tripping him. "Don't you dare turn your back on me!"

Sonic struggled to stand, his green eyes glaring straight into Silver's golden ones. "Look, I don't have time for this! I have to save Elise!"

"Save her? You can't save anyone! You're only here to destroy!" Silver cloaked himself in teal, charging another blast in his hands, "It's time I finally put an end to this!"

"STOP!" Amy shouted as she finally stepped in, guarding Sonic from any further attacks from Silver.

Surprised, Silver lost his concentration and clenched his fists. "Get out of the way, Amy!" His patience was running thin, but he didn't want to hurt her. He couldn't.

"Absolutely not!" She was putting her foot down, she had seen her hero be beaten down enough.

Sonic finally managed to stand, panting before looking to her.

"Thanks, Amy."  
"Leave it to me!"

Sonic nodded, glanced at Silver, then took off running.

Silence hazed over the two of them, increasing the weight of the situation. Their stares were cold and harsh, one of sheer disappointment and the other of misaligned justice. Debris of broken tables and chairs were strewn about the once neat and tidy outdoor area. Broken spare supply boxes and barrels were shattered and splintered, spilling a multitude of fruit and vegetables around. The sound of the ocean behind them was louder than anything else, ambient and tempestuous.

"The person you were looking for was Sonic?" Amy finally asked, keeping her guard up as she looked saddened at him, "Were you planning to kill him...?"

Silver looked away. "You don't understand. He's responsible for destroying my world!"

"That isn't true at all!" Amy stomped her foot, keeping her distance from her once well-liked ally, "Sonic would never do that!"

"But it's true! In the near future, his actions will cause the devastation of my world and your world!" He kept his eyes on her before taking a step forward, "In order to prevent that, I must-"

"No!" Amy took a step forward, making Silver back up a bit, "I don't believe it. Even if that was true." She shook her head and placed her hand on her heart, "If I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic!" She shot him a glare.

Heavy silence again. There was nothing more to be said, nothing left but destroyed trust and a cold resentment. As Amy began to run off, presumably after Sonic, Silver tried to say something, but he couldn't. He was stuck now. No Blaze, no Amy, no one to fall back on. Once again having to rely on himself for survival in a time he's unfamiliar with. He... had no idea what to do now...

[_I'm... that's it then? I failed?_]  
/Silver. We need to talk./  
[_...okay._]

Mint turned to scarlet as Silver began to make his way towards the harbor, somehow familiar with the layout of Castle Town. Rather, someone else, Venice, was. As he sat on one of the steps overlooking the marina, he sighed heavily and shut his eyes.

Fall back.  
Back into the mental metaphorical fog.

He sees the glass, his reflection as it morphs to Venice who appears less angry at Silver. He sits next to the glass, motioning for Silver to sit with him.  
He does.

Everything is quiet as they both listen to the ocean.

/Do you understand now?/ Venice started, his voice was calm but heavy with grief.

[_I... don't know. Why was she so mad at me? Doesn't Amy know I was trying to stop the world from-]_

/You tried to kill someone who means a lot to her./ Venice didn't look at Silver, instead, he gave a heavy sigh. /What if someone tried to murder Blaze? Someone _we_ have known for most of our lives. Would you go back to trusting them so easily?/

He had a point, neither himself nor Venice would trust anyone who tried to harm Blaze.

/Amy, she and I.../ Venice started, /we got along so well. It hurts to know that you destroyed our trust./

Silver's ears flattened, feeling beyond guilty for ruining something like this.

[_Venice, I'm-_]

/Don't be./ He looked to Silver, his eyes were cold again. /There's a reason why I didn't intervene, why I couldn't just stop you from doing what you did./

The naive teen looked to his copy, confused.

/Mephiles is a liar. He takes your innocence and twists it in a way that makes you pity him, which will make you do his bidding./

Silver growled, shaking his head, [_No, Venice. He needs my help to save our world. If he didn't want that, then why would he have been seeking me out?]_

Venice sighed after a while, /You truly don't remember. I wish you did./

[_Just tell me what I don't remember! You claim to know all of this stuff about me!_]

/Sure, want me to just break your mind while I'm at it?/ Venice huffed, shaking his head.

[_Damn it Venice, why can't you just...!_]

"So this is where you are. I've been looking for you."

That voice, so soft and mature, warm with familiarity. Blaze took a couple of steps over to him, giving him a warm smile. He opened his eyes, turning quickly to face her. He thought she had been lost in the past, somewhere... else. He couldn't control himself; he excitedly stumbled to his feet and ran to her. He was so... overjoyed to see her. He truly thought he had lost her. He wanted to hug her, but no, that wasn't their way. There was a strict 'no touching' rule that was only broken when either one of them needed first aid. Instead, he awkwardly stood a distance away from her, giving her a gentle and relieved smile.

"S-Sorry I just..."  
"It is nice to see you as well, Silver."

Silver nodded as he turned back to the marina. Blaze stood by his side, putting her hands on her hips as she looked at the sky. There was no more tension, no more loudness in his mind. Having his partner back was more than comforting, better than an acquaintance who didn't understand him...  
No, he couldn't pass judgment on Amy so easily. He couldn't ignore everything Venice experienced, he was a part of him. A person sharing his body. Someone whos views and values were just as important as his own. But as much as he respected Venice's acquaintanceship with Amy, he couldn't let it blind him from his own need to destroy the Iblis Trigger. Now that Blaze was back, it would surely be easier to track him down and fix their world.

He stared at the ocean as he felt his presence in his mind. As if he was standing right behind him.

[_Venice... what was it that happened? Why do you hate Mephiles so much?]_

/Because he's the reason why we're split./

Silver blinked a few times, looking down at the pavement.

[_What do you mean?]_

/...Silver... Do you remember when you were a child? When things bur-/

[_Don't. I... I don't want to remember.]_

/If you want to know, you'll need to listen to me!/

[_If it involves.. **that**... then I don't want to!_]

"Have you had any luck in finding the Iblis Trigger?" Blaze's voice broke the physical silence between them, unaware of Silver's heavy thoughts.

Taking a deep breath and forcing himself to push Venice aside, he nodded, "Yes, I have, but he got away."  
"I see."

_"If I had to choose between the world and Sonic, I would choose Sonic!"  
_Silver could recall Amy's expression, disappointment and shame. He had to ask someone who wasn't Mephiles, as he would not give a straight answer, and the only other person who was exceptionally smart and well versed in terms of morality was Blaze. She had lived in Crisis City much longer than Silver and had to survive from the very start. She had to know what he was getting at.

"Blaze?"  
"Yes?"  
"To kill someone to change the world... is that really the right thing to do?"

She spoke up after a moment to think.  
"You're so naive." Her voice hinted with disappointment before continuing, "Whether it's right or wrong, I can't say."

Silver looked to her, clueless at what she was getting at as she kept her focused gaze on the blue sky.

"What I do know is if we do not take this chance, then the future will remain exactly as it is." She looked to him, a grim expression that he knew all too well.

With her answer, Silver nodded and began to walk down the street, Blaze by his side. "There was a guy controlling robots who took a girl. The Iblis Trigger, Sonic is his name, went after him."  
"The name of that guy is Doctor Eggman." Blaze replied, glancing around the town. "From what I have seen and ran into, he is notorious for making robots to wreak havoc on people. He is after that woman, Princess Elise, so that he can awaken Solaris."

"Dr. Eggman..." Silver thought for a moment before nodding and turning to Blaze, "right, let's go find the Iblis Trigger!"

Silver runs off close to where Sonic had previously run off before. Blaze nods and she follows close behind.


	5. Slow Burn

Frigid. Icy. Arctic. Every world related to the root word 'cold', a word once foreign to Silver and Blaze, could be used to describe White Acropolis. It was a harsh, tundra-like, rocky mountain range.

It was also conveniently the base of Dr. Eggman, someone who may know the whereabouts of Sonic or at least have some knowledge about their future.

However, like any super-secret villain hideaway, it was fiercely guarded with robots and large spotlights. This was a stealth mission in every sense of the word, as Blaze suggested it should be due to this being a huge base of operations for a dangerous enemy.

"Brr… h-how can anyone live like this?" Silver murmured as he held his arms, trying to keep warm. What he wouldn't give for Blaze's pyrokinesis right now.

"Same can be said for our world." Blaze replied, keeping her voice low.

"Still, it isn't everyday t-that we experience such a… harsh coldness like this."  
"Hmm… true."

Silver stopped in his tracks as he felt a bizarre presence. It was a strangely familiar feeling. Something bordering on the edge of control and chaos. Controlled chaos? But what can feel so out of place? Something otherworldly for sure. He stopped a few steps ahead of Blaze, spotting the source of the strange energy. It was coming from a rich blue crystal of some kind. He picked it up, gazing into the smooth sides of the gem.

"That's a Chaos Emerald," Blaze spoke up, standing next to him and observing the mysterious blue energy swirling within the gemstone. "It's said that this gem can transform your thoughts into power. Collect seven, and a miracle's supposed to happen." The princess began to walk away into the snow, not too far to be out of his sight, "Keep it as a lucky charm."

Silver felt the smooth top of the stone. "It transforms your thoughts into power…" Noticing his friend was walking away, he tucks the emerald safely in his back quills and catches up to her.

They stopped after a few more steps, hearing the distant thuds all around them. Threats were at every corner, which was expected from being within a handful of meters from the large lair ahead. No doubt that every inch was being surveyed by robots and searchlights. Despite the robots being active, there were several footsteps heading in the same direction they were going in. Was someone else here? No, they couldn't have gotten past the mechs, right? If they did, the bots would be destroyed.

Blaze held her arm out, stopping them both from walking further as her ears twitched. She pointed to a nearby iron crate to which the two of them ducked behind, just in time as a large robot stomped past them, stopping and scanning the area where they were just standing.  
Breathing out a silent sigh of relief, she glanced at Silver who was staring into the Chaos Emerald.

"Blaze," his voice was soft, gentle and quiet as to not alert the bots. "What are we looking for here?"

The purple cat looked down, trying to gather her thoughts. "There is something here that interests the Iblis Trigger- Sonic, is his name. It is either the princess of Soleanna, Elise, or something else entirely." She hesitates before speaking again, this time staring with a determined and rather stern look at her partner, "Dr. Eggman is also involved with Sonic and Princess Elise. He might know more about why our future is the way it is or why Sonic is responsible for our world."

"Right."

That was all he could say. After all, he was still trying to process everything Blaze had filled him in on. Dr. Eggman holding a part in the demise of his future… whoever he was, he needed to be stopped as well. Kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Silver tucked the rich blue emerald away, looking at the now empty space between the route and the crate.

"Coast's clear," Blaze whispered, peeking around the crate. "C'mon."

The duo kept to the shadows, lurking and taking down the occasional bot that stood in their way as well as frying wires that powered the searchlights. Perfect stealth and assisted by the decadent moonlight cast on the factory in front of them. They were so close to finding out the truth. It was time.

Just as they rounded the corner to the entrance of the factory, they both felt the earth below them shake violently. Gusts of wind sharply grazing their fur as they looked around for the cause of the disturbance.

"W-What?" Silver clenched his fists, glaring around his environment.

"Keep your eyes peeled." Blaze instructed as the wind began to die down.

A large robot descended from high in the sky. A beige, massive robot with piercing green eyes and four overly-bright searchlights at the end of its limbs targeted the duo. It had 'GENESIS' printed on the side along with a version number. With a loud hiss, the limbs detached, powering energy up to release some sort of attack on them.

"Watch out!" Blaze instructed, sensing the incoming attack as she jumped away.

Silver jumped back just in time as a laser shot from the limb, burning away the snow.

"What is that?!"  
"Must be a security measure Dr. Eggman has taken."  
"From what?!"  
"Not what, but who."

Silver looked to her, a sense of curiosity piqued him as he saw that look in her eyes, that look of knowing something he didn't. It made him worry for a second, but he quickly pushed it aside. Now wasn't the time to get lost in thought.

The large levitating robot put its searchlights up, signaling the other mechs that intruders have been found. A loud ear-piercing frequency echoed the frozen area, sounds of thuds from every direction soon followed. The hostile mechanisms we're heading their way.

Blaze covered her ears as they pinned against her skull, the high frequency causing an enormous pressure in her head.

Sensing this and feeling his own discomfort from the noise, Silver jumped into the air. A bright cyan engulfed his body as he formed a psychic blade in his hands. Throwing his arms down, he released his grip on the knife, slicing one of the speakers that sounded the alarm clean off.

"Blaze!"

"Right!"

The princess leaped into the air with Silver just as the other bots arrived, cloaking herself in flames and twirling. Bright balls of pure fire shot in every direction, burning the very steel the machines were made of. She landed, looking quickly at the large towering mechs to get a rough estimate of how many there were. Sending the presence of a mech behind, Blaze she jumped into the air, creating a flame wheel that melted the metal arms and guns.

Silver, still levitating, picked up one of the fallen bots and threw it into one of the searchlights on the Genesis. He smirked, but immediately caught the sight of a large bot behind Blaze, charging up an attack while she was preoccupied with another mech.

"Hah!" Silver grunted as he stopped his levitation, charging telekinesis in his palms.

As he landed, he threw his palms into the snow, resulting in a large psychokinetic shockwave that shorted out any mechs nearby and froze them in place. In sync, Blaze twirled in a cloak of flames, immolating the warped and corrupted robots until they were nothing but a mix of molten steel and wires.

The duo weren't given a chance to catch their breath as the Genesis bot arose behind them. Its long mechanical arms slammed down between the two of them as they jumped back. Another searchlight shone in the dark sky, illuminating the snow flurries.

Silver threw his hands out, trying to restrain the arm as Blaze began to spin, flames dancing around her being. She dashed, flames burning the steel and weakening the plates to which he bent until it was mangled. His energy spent, Silver doubled over, panting and trying to force himself to keep going. The icy air was no help, it stung his lungs to breathe and exerting so much energy wasn't doing anything for his pre-hypothermic state.

There were more thuds getting closer, robots resembling searchers, sweepers, and cannons, the sounds of bullets ripped through the air followed. There were just so many security bots, it was difficult to handle. These were steel and wires, not flame and rock and it was getting harder to take them down with the cold air weakening one of the duo. Not to mention how sturdy they were and resistant to most elemental attacks aside from Silver's psychokinesis and Blaze's fire attacks. Even then, their own powers were proving to be barely making a dent. They just... Kept coming.

Having heard the shots, Silver dashed to Blaze and wrapped his arms around her, creating a forcefield, protecting both of them from the bullets. Another arm from the Genesis almost hits Silver, the force pushing him into the snow and making him lose his train of thought and shattering the forcefield. Breaking herself from Silver's protective grip, Blaze shoots fireballs to distract the robot from harming her teammate any further.

Struggling to get up, Silver notices the situation: an unknown total of bots surrounded him and Blaze, their guns are reloading and aiming, all laser sights on Blaze and himself. Two of the Genesis arms prepare a large laser blast. This was it, there was no way he could deflect everything.

No.

He has to try.

For the sake of his future…!

The shivering and with bated breath, he clenched his fists. Rich teal and scarlet beginning to mix, forming a unique Ultraviolet hue at his very core. His golden eyes were bright, seemingly glowing as he began to levitate.

_Reach out… Just… beyond what I can, I can do it…_

He held his hands out, pushing himself far past his limit for the sake of defeating these bots before they got the chance to defeat them. He began to focus, preparing a blast of psychokinetic energy.

***BANG***

That was all it took.

He fell from the levitation and back into the snow. Being pushed past his limit, it was easy to have your attention be ripped away by a gunshot. Or two. Or fifty. His eyes looked around at the gun that fired, seeing that it had just barely missed him if he didn't stop levitating. Staying still was dangerous. He looked to Blaze who was just as worn out as himself, crouched in the snow and cloaked in a protective field of fire.

Then…

All of the bots fired.

[There are so many bullets! I can't reflect all of them!]  
/Reflect them./  
[I can't!]  
/Do it./  
[There's too many of them!]  
/If you don't, you and Blaze will be killed!/  
[There's no way that I can-]  
/Then let me do it!/  
[...]

More resounding booms, bullets piercing the air and snow as they darted towards the cat and the hedgehog. This time, accompanied by a laser from the Genesis.

/You have to trust me!/

"Blaze! Get down!"

[Fine.]

A lapse in control.

A quick resurgence.

He steps into place.

In a split second, what once was teal and gold was now scarlet and sky blue. Everything around Venice was frozen as his breath caught in his throat. He only has one chance to reflect on these projectiles. His fingers quivering as he felt the cold metal of the bullets that surrounded all of them. Straining, he forced the frozen bullets backward, a mirror-like barrier surrounding the cat and hedgehog noticeable only by a distortion in the space around them. The mirror would serve a perfect reflecting surface for the lasers.

Almost as swift as he switched, time resumed, and he fell back into silence. The barrier forced back all projectiles towards the mechs. Colors reverted to those of the host as Silver collapsed in the snow, panting heavily as he tried to stay conscious.

The bullets had been repelled towards their dispensers, causing shortages and sparks. Explosions from the mechanics followed as the princess watched in stunned bewilderment. They were just cornered and within the blink of an eye, they were defeated and free. This was impossible. It was impossible to dodge that many bullets, let alone reflect all of them! How did…?

Her amber eyes immediately looked to Silver, severely weakened.

"Silver!" Blaze ran to her fallen partner, kneeling down and holding his shoulders. "Are you okay? You weren't shot, were you?"

He put his hand to his forehead, trying to stop the rush of temporal vertigo. This energy, it felt so similar to Mephiles' time travel. It was so… chaotic. Was this what Chaos Energy felt like? A swirling vortex of instability? He grits his teeth, tightly shutting his eyes. His head was pounding, mainly his temples where he had been struck repeatedly before. Instinctively, he moved his fingers to the wound, thanking it was still bandaged but it was leaking blood. A head wound was the worst thing a psychic could have.

[This… this energy… Everything is spinning…]  
/I had to, you and Blaze would've been killed./  
[Is… is this your power…?]

Blaze delicately shook his shoulders, bringing him back to his awareness. "Silver?"

She was so warm, her hands placed on his shivering shoulders. "B-Blaze?" His gold eyes met her amber.

The cat gave a relieved sigh, "Oh, thank chaos… I thought you were seriously injured." She gave a small grin before looking at the wreckage of metal and glass around them. "Those mechs... did you…?"

"I-I-" caught by the feeling of something metallic crawling up his throat, he slapped his hand to his mouth violently coughing, bordering on the edge of retching.

Blaze held him steady by his shoulders, trying to smooth down his bristled quills. She knew he had strong telekinesis but… having the ability to reflect thousands of bullets at once? No doubt he would be severely weakened, and in all honesty, she was surprised that he was still conscious.

Her eyes widened when he pulled his gloved hand away from his mouth. Specks of blood lay smeared on his palm.

He could feel the illusion press a hand to his back. Startled, he looked over.

[W-What did you do?]

Venice shook his head, eyeing Silver protectively. He struggled to speak, which was odd.

/We've… always had this power./  
[But… I never knew…]  
/You should know what it is; chaos energy. This body, our body, has a unique ability to use psychic energy. A type of power that is purely chaotic energy condensed down into one ability./

Silver looked down, trying to understand the weight of everything he was being told.

[But, time stopped…]  
/The Chaos Emerald. It allowed me to use the energy to freeze time for a few seconds./  
[We… We can do that…?]

Venice gave a hollow chuckle before closing his eyes.

/Mephiles showed us how to do it./  
[Mephiles…?]

The mink nodded, smiling sadly.

/When we were kids, he showed us a Chaos Emerald. It was one of our first lessons.../

"That isn't good, we need to head back..!" She stood, helping Silver stand up.

/You can manipulate things around you with just a thought- Psychokinesis. I can slow or stop time at least once a day./  
/However, we cannot endure raw chaos energy as easily as before now that we are split./  
/Forcing ourselves to do so will cause drastic physical reactions./

"We can't."

"What?! Silver, you're bleeding!"

"We've made it this far, Blaze. We… we cannot leave now."

Blaze gave him a worried look, supporting the weak hedgehog and steadying him as he stood.

"I'll live, d-don't worry. I just… need to rest." Silver breathlessly held her arm that was supporting him as he stood. "The bots s-should be handled, and t-the snow is getting h-heavier. A-and the cold, I…" He shivered as a gust of frigid wind grazed the duo.

As much as Blaze didn't want to admit it, he was right. There's no way Silver would survive any longer in the harsh cold environment they were in, even if Blaze tried to keep him warm, his body temperature was so low already. They were stuck, trapped in an onslaught of frozen rain and sleet that pelted them. A blizzard was arriving.

"C'mon, we can take shelter somewhere for the night." Blaze put his arm around her shoulders, supporting his frail body while also trying to keep him as warm as possible.

Too weak to fight it, Silver forced himself to move with his telekinesis. His control was so unstable, breaking with every movement. Venice used all of his- well, their body's energy with just one move. It was almost impossible to believe that any of this came from the Chaos Emerald, let alone an alternate person he shared a body with.

"Here. An abandoned air vent." Blaze used her flames to melt the ice that trapped the grate opening. "It looks like it connects straight into the lair, which would make infiltration easier."

"A-are y-you sure it's abandoned?"

"The amount of accumulated ice tells me it has not been used in quite a while." She looked to Silver and pointed to the bolts and screws. "Do you think you can loosen the bolts? Just a little bit, then I can take over."

Silver weakly nodded, staring at the screws on the outer vent opening. Feebly and with labored breaths, he unscrewed the bolts. Blaze soon took over, popping them out and opening the cover. She helped Silver in, then followed suit, closing the grate back up with her flames, welding metal to metal.

"I-I'm s-so c-cold." His voice shook as his body shivered, clutching his arms to try and keep himself as warm as he could. He kept his eyes shut as he pulled his legs up to his chest, his entire frame shaking. He pressed his lips into a fine line, trying not to breathe too deeply as the cold dry air chapped them.

This was not good. Intense heat was what they were used to, but not below zero temperatures with no way to keep warm. Silver was losing heat swiftly, making his focus shaky and unstable. He had no internal heat source like Blaze, he was just a normal hedgehog save for his powers. Vulnerable to the weather and temperature. If he was honest, it scared him. This was such an intense ice-cold chill, much more unforgiving than the heat and flames of their home. He didn't know how to handle being cold.

/[_Mephiles was cold too…_]/

They spoke in unison for once. He stopped his train of thought abruptly, eyes snapping open from the sudden feeling of unease and anxiety that settled in his chest.

Mephiles? Why would his mind go straight to him? Someone he had no idea about, who only brought him here to the past to help save his future.

Venice was thinking about him too. Maybe he was right, maybe they did know Mephiles when they were younger. But if that were true, he'd at least have some memory of him… right?

Blaze gave Silver a look of worry. Being a pyrokinetic had many perks aside from manipulating the flames, one of them being immune to cold or chilly temperatures. This made cold weather not a problem at all to the cat, but it made life in Crisis City a treacherous one. Regardless, she was now stuck with a freezing partner and no way to get him warmed up.

"There, we should be safe from the blizzard for now." She announced as she sighed heavily, exhausted from their battle.

"T-Thank y-you." Silver shivered, giving his partner a weak smile.

"It won't keep the cold out, but at least we aren't in the thick of it." She turned to the shivering teen. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine..! J-just need a good night's rest! Aha..." He gave a pathetic chuckle, giving his friend a smile that begged, 'don't concern yourself with me'. He winced at the throbbing pain in his temples. At least the wound wasn't bleeding anymore...

She couldn't get any closer to him, or rather, it wasn't what they were used to. It would be too fast of a move to sit less than an arm's length from one another. Hell, the very act of having to share food or mend each other's wounds back at home felt too... confidential. It was hard to explain, but it was an unspoken agreement they had and have had for years.

But... This was survival. Though the argument could be made that every day was survival in their future...

"Silver?" She moved an inch closer to him, keeping a close eye on him to make sure he was still breathing. His eyes were closed and his body was scarily still.

In response, he blearily opened his eyes. They seemed unfocused, his vision blurry and distant. His fur and skin were tinted a chilling blue color. Every frame and limb of his body was shivering violently, trying to conserve as much heat as possible. Not good. No doubt hypothermia setting in.

Silently breaking their rule, she reached her hand out, pressing it against his cheek. He was almost as cold as the ice and snow they crunched through to get to this place. Her ears flattened, scooting closer and placing her other palm on his opposite cheek. She was being too forward, way too forward... but he was just so cold...

[She's so warm...]  
/She is.../  
[Venice, would it be alright... to hug her?]  
/Maybe you should ask her./

"B-B...Blaze..?" He murmured weakly, his voice softer than the howling wind. The cat had to strain her ears in order to hear him properly. "C-can... can I hug you?"

The question made his female companion pause, her heartbeat pounding as his golden eyes stared into her amber ones. It was then that she realized just how close their faces were. Nearly nose to nose, her warm breath grazing his lips. A roaring fire inches away from an… icicle? It wasn't as eloquent as her mind put it.

She must've been silent for a while because Silver pulled himself away, gently taking her hands off of his cheeks.

"S-sorry! I-I didn't mean t-to make you uncomfortable…" he gave a sheepish laugh before he fell into a coughing fit. His lungs were burning from the cold air.

Just as he was about to retreat to a side of the vent wall, he felt the princess wrap her arms tenderly around his shaking body. He froze (no pun intended) in place, cheeks flushing a bright pink as the warmth of her body embraced him. Hot and cold, a lukewarm mixture of emotions between the cat and the hedgehog. Hugs were rare. Even rarer than touch. Emotions were so private that being and expressing vulnerability was unheard of. It was… pleasant to not experience the same, "I'm fine, don't worry" routine. It was new, a challenge. A welcomed nuance to their close friendship.

"To make sure you do not freeze to death, yes. You can." Her voice was soft, soothing.

After hearing her consent, he wrapped his arms carefully around her waist, pulling her closer to himself. The chill of his cold hands skimmed her spine, making her body stiffen and shudder slightly as she bit her tongue to resist the need to purr. Silver was always so soft, so gentle. It was hard to believe that the very same hedgehog held such destructive powers to take down a monstrous entity like Iblis. She thought he would've been more hardened, more defensive about his frail body.

She was foolish to think that Silver would think ahead when it came to his own safety.

He uncurled his legs from being so tightly pressed to his chest, crossing them as he tightened his grip around her. Now chest-to-chest, Silver closed his eyes as he let her warmth fill his freezing body. She was so cozy, welcoming. It felt so weird to hug Blaze but not in a bad way. It was a good weird. Different. Unique. A one-time-free-to-hug pass. She was like a warm blanket, a hardened princess who has survived a city of flames and disaster. A survivor in every sense of the word.

Blaze relaxed her stiffened pose, sitting next to Silver and wrapping her arms around his neck as she rests her head on his shoulder. His arm she was caught between moved, wrapping it around her waist, hoping it would help warm her back too. So naive.  
It was warm. He was warm. This energy was warm. Secretive. A close connection between the princess and the survivor.

* * *

Eggman's base wasn't all it appeared to be from the outside. Comically large for how small the inside was with all of the corridors yes, but informative and helping the duo out with answers, no. Not to mention, the evil genius wasn't even present. He was off somewhere most likely tracking down the princess and Sonic. At least it was warm inside the base.

The only good thing was the notes he left behind: "Sonic has been seen in New City!", "Princess Elise has escaped! She may be back at her castle... If I can nab her when she least expects it, then I will finally have her!" , "Rerouting the Train systems will be the perfect distraction for that pesky hedgehog!"

All of this talk about kidnapping the princess had Silver and Blaze quite worried. What was the point of it all? Was this Dr. Eggman the Iblis Trigger? Has he had his facts wrong this whole time?

The first place mentioned was New City, a place that Blaze is familiar with and has visited before. It was the next stop, which was ideal to finally get out of the ice-cold tundra that was White Acropolis. Having arrived back in Soleanna was… welcoming. It didn't make Silver feel as alienated as before, perhaps because his focus was on something entirely different.

Approaching the area aptly named New City, the duo stopped in their tracks at who stood in the center.

"Mephiles…" Silver spoke softly, taking a step forward.

The shadow lifted his head at the mention of his name, turning its mobian body to Silver and Blaze.

Silver felt… alone in this moment. He couldn't feel Venice's energy and co-awareness. He wasn't 'awake'. He thanked chaos for it, but couldn't help but feel a bit of anxiety in his chest.

"Tell me who the Iblis Trigger is," He started, becoming more demanding as he stepped towards the grayscale hedgehog. "Why does he want to destroy the world?"

Mephiles scoffed telepathically as his verdant eyes scanned the duo. "Why does that matter to you?"

The question caught them off guard as they looked to one another then back to Mephiles. Silver glared at the vague being, clenching his fists.

"Because if we don't put an end to him, my future will-"

"Remain as it is." Mephiles finished his sentence, approaching Silver and staring him down. "Forever."

Gold locked onto venomous green. Mephiles was studying him, his expression, his stance, everything. He was so much different than before. Completely separate. Remembering nothing of his life before he met Blaze. This was not the same child he raised in the near future. This was… a walking shell of confusion, naivety, and blind jurisdiction.

"You truly remember nothing. It is… interesting." He crossed his arms, keeping his cold emotionless eyes on Silver.

"Stop telling me things I've heard before! Just tell me who the Iblis Trigger is and where I can find him!"

As much as taunting this new consciousness Silver had… developed, was fun, he had to let his game play out. The shadow held his hand out to the train terminal, "He's currently at the terminal station. It's now or never if you want this."

That being said, the shadowy enigma turned away from the teens, walking away onto a dark mist that dissipated. Blaze and Silver looked at one another as if trying to understand what they should do through unspoken words. Rather hesitantly, Silver began to run towards the terminal, Blaze following shortly after.

* * *

Trekking through Radical Train was a mystery at first. Many cranes and obvious signs of Eggman's machinery were present. Knowing how to handle them thanks to White Acropolis was quite easy, it was the cranes and traversing them that was the biggest issue now. They were all precariously mixed up and put in puzzle-like states to confuse the duo. Furthermore, every train at this mountainous trainyard were on schedule. None of them were falling behind or moving too quickly as Dr. Eggman's notes lead them to expect, which made tracking the main train difficult.

But when they did find it, it had already been stopped by their target.

That blue hedgehog, Sonic.

Throwing a psychokinetic blast in his way, Silver and Blaze jumped down in front of him as he dodged the attack. He set the princess down, green eyes glaring at the silvery hedgehog.

"You again… Man, you just don't give up, do ya?" He gave a snarky chuckle, eyes locked onto his enemy.

"This time there will be no more interruptions!" Silver shouted, pointing at Sonic. "The Iblis Trigger... must die!"

He threw his hand out, circular energy point glowing as he shot another blast his way. Sonic dodged it, somersaulting and dashing away from Silver. Knowing he would be fast, Silver concentrated and locked his power on Sonic's legs, stopping him and freezing him in place.

"Sonic…" The princess spoke softly, unsure of what to do other than hold back tears that stung her eyes.

Little did she know, behind her was another enemy, Dr. Eggman riding atop his mobile.

"So how was your little walk, Princess?" He laughed heartily, mechanical arms grabbing Elise as she cried out, being ripped away from Sonic's side.

"Elise!" Sonic tried to fight the energy, reaching out for her as Eggman flew off with the last member of the royal family.

Silver scoffed, clenching his fingers around Sonic's body, freezing him further. "Hmph. It's time to end this!" In his other hand, he charged up a psychokinetic blast, one sure enough to end any life in its way. He finally had him.

Until a black and red hedgehog dropped down in front of Sonic, surprising Silver and breaking his concentration.

"W-What?! W-Who are you?!"

The ruby-eyed hedgehog turns to Sonic who gives him a thumbs up, then dashes away in the direction Dr. Eggman and the princess was in. He then turned his attention to Silver, crossing his arms with an unreadable expression. Silver could only stare, feeling something inside of him stir with such seething rage. Something he… never felt before.

He was awake.

"I'll follow the blue hedgehog!" Blaze hollered before taking off after Sonic.

The black and red hedgehog's ruby eyes practically stared his golden ones down. It was a cold stare, one that was unspoken but said so much about this ebony rogue.

/That's a disguise.../  
[_Wait, He's red, not-_]  
/Give me control. Now./

"Hngh!"

Silver felt his breath hesitate, throwing his hands up to his face and shutting his eyes. He groaned in mental agony as he tries to keep Venice from leaking out. Nails digging into the sides of his head as he grits his teeth, body shaking as he turned away from the black and red hedgehog. He could feel the chaos energy in his veins practically boil.

[This isn't Mephiles, Venice!]  
/Fall back./  
/It** burns**./  
/Give me control./

He grabs his neck, choking him as he's ripped away from the control panel.

A liquid oozes from the darkness of his mind, forcing it way down his throat.

He's choking.

He's drowning.

He falls into the darkness.

He wakes up.

Ripped away from the metaphorical driver's seat; chaos energy colors changed once more from teal to scarlet. Once gold eyes replaced with icy blue.

The hedgehog soon relaxed his posture, arms fell limp by his side, turning to 'Mephiles'.

"Mephiles. Why are you getting in my way?"

The black and red hedgehog shook his head. "I'm Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog."


	6. Omniscience

Shadow raised a brow at this accusation. Being mistaken for Mephiles… it did not sit well with him. Anyone could see that Mephiles was an uncanny entity, a false projection using his image. He kept his ruby eyes on the young teen, trying to gather his thoughts on him. The tension in the air was thick despite the metal grinding from the occasional train carts that passed by. The two hedgehogs were waiting for one another to make a move… just one movement, then a fight would be inevitable.

"I finally have you, Mephiles." His voice was cold, emotionless. he flexed his fingers, lifting multiple rocks and canisters behind the ebony hedgehog with scarlet energy. "After waiting for so long… I will finally end you."

Shadow scoffed, shaking his head."I see common sense is something you lack." His ears flicked at the movement of debris behind himself. In a flash, he jumped out of the way just as Venice slammed the objects into the earth.

"Trash talking. That's new coming from you, Mephiles." Cloaking himself in his scarlet energy, he levitated and searched for his foe.

"You may need to get your eyes checked. I am nothing like Mephiles." Shadow spoke as he teleported behind Venice, forming a bolt of chaos energy in his hands- a chaos spear.

The bolt shot through the hedgehog's back, piercing him all the way through as electricity coursed through his body. Losing all focus, Venice fell to the ground. He caught himself, his anger only getting more prominent as he clenched his fists. Despite struggling to breathe as the spear disintegrated, he froze Shadow in place, then threw him to the ground, forcing him back a few feet away from himself.

[I should've known… you just want to hurt people…]

With a grunt and a yell, Shadow jumped to his feet, forming another spear in his hands. "CHAOS… SPEAR!"

As multiple bolts of energy formed around him and fired, Venice quickly levitated out of the way. He panted, trying to catch his breath. His powers felt like chaos energy, raw, but controlled expertly. Mephiles' energy aura was similar but less… composed. As if he was missing half of what made his power complete.

No matter, he didn't have time to think about that now!

The hedgehog lifted more canisters, using them as bullets to fire at the enemy. He hissed in annoyance when Shadow ducked behind a train cart.

/Oh, that was quick, _Sliver_! What was the reason you came to the past again? To kill an innocent person because this random guy tells you to?!/

[_ That's different! The Iblis Trigger is responsible for our world being in turmoil! You're trying to murder someone innocent!] _

Stuck arguing with Silver, he landed, stopping his levitation. Shadow jumped to his feet and summoned arrows of chaos energy. As he threw his hand down, Venice took notice and quickly levitated out of the way.

/Silver, he watched as it happened! He took this form! Don't you remember?!/

Shadow, floating from the power in his rocket shoes, caught up to Venice and the two began to fight physically. Fists impacting their cheeks, knees jabbing each other in the side. Venice was not skilled with physical fights, often not being prepared for blows, which led Shadow to punch him as hard as he could, sending him into the ground.

[_ No! I… this isn't him! His colors don't match _!]

Losing his patience with the voice in his head as well as this form of Mephiles laying beating after beating into him, Venice struggled to his feet, barely escaping another barrage of chaos spears. Using a nearby crate to shield himself, the hedgehog then thrust it forcefully into Shadow, sending him flying back behind a train cart.

/Do you remember when it all **burned**?!/

[...]

The copy turned to the original, his blue eyes burning through him in his dissociated state, as Venice pounded his fists on the glass.

/Mephiles was there! He was there and he watched! He trapped mom and dad as Iblis came closer until they both **died**! And you're telling me you don't want any sort of justice for them?!/

[_ S-stop it! This isn't about that!] _

/Yes it is! Stop being so damn dense and listen to me for once!/

Venice pounded on the glass with each word, striking fear into the white copy of himself.

/**He** was the shadow that we saw! **He** directed them to attack us! **He** was the cause of everything that happened!/

Silver threw his hands over his ears, crouching down as he shut his eyes. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to…

[Stop! I... that was different! It was a coincidence!]

The mink turned away from the mirror, scoffing as red energy engulfed his hands.

/You're going to need to open your eyes sooner or later, Silver!/

_/Because I don't know how much longer you can keep believing your lies./ _

Taking advantage of Silver's lapse of input in the body, he wasted no time in levitating and searching for his foe. His fingers flexed, cloaking debris in scarlet as he fired them at the train cart Shadow was hiding behind. Finally, he found his enemy just barely escaping another round of rock bullets. He was near breathless, but not down and out. With a quick somersault, Shadow dodged a metal crate and jumped back in time to miss a barrage of rocky bullets. Grabbing him with his telekinesis, he thrust Shadow into the rocky cliff wall behind him, smirking as he fell to his knees. Satisfied, Venice levitated more of the rocks and canisters, throwing his arms up and ready to slam them down to finish him off.

_[Why... why won't you listen to me...?]  
_/Why won't **YOU** listen to **ME**?!/  
_[Because you're __**WRONG**__!_]  
/Then **I WILL **show you that I'm **RIGHT!**/

Just then, he felt the other one co-aware. His arms felt stiff as Silver took control of his mind for a moment.

[**No! I won't let you**!]

"TAKE THI-" he shouted, but halted. His breath caught in his chest as he felt that form of chaos energy be taken away from himself. Shut off by the other one. "What?!" The debris he was once levitating had fallen to the ground with a resounding thud. Venice dropped to his feet, his focus was shattered.

/What did you do?!/

[_ You kept controlling me. I let you control me. Well... not anymore.] _

Venice turned to the mirror image behind himself, the fog was getting thick as Silver's golden eyes pierced the darkness. He knelt in front of the glass, placing his palms to it. The psychokinetic chaos energy, that bright and radiant aqua hue, was so vivid in them.

[_ You cannot use _**_my _**_power anymore.] _

Shadow gave a hollow chuckle, running up to the younger teen and forming a spear in his hand. With a holler, he thrust it into Venice's body, sending a nullifying shock of chaotic energy through his veins.

Weakened and all power having been stolen by the other half, Venice fell to his hands and knees. He tried to breathe, his body shaking from the remaining electricity in his body from Shadow's attacks. His blue eyes narrowed as he glared at the ebony agent.

/What?! You can't do that!/

[_ Yes I can! This is _**_my_**_body, telekinesis is _**_my _**_power! You cannot use it anymore.] _

/But what about Mephiles?! Do you want him to continue to lie and use you like-/

_[You don't have any power left. And _**_he _**_is not Mephiles.] _

He was right. He had used all of his chaos energy to save his host's life hours earlier, and _this _is how he repays him? Shutting off the only other power he could use to kill Mephiles?

/D-Damn it, Silver! Give me the power back!/

[_ You got yourself into this. You get yourself out.] _

Venice and Shadow locked eyes, one standing over the fallen with a cold expression. The younger hedgehog shook his head, stumbling to his feet as his host's words echoed in his mind.

This felt like a repeat.

A repeat of the day they as a whole being broke apart.

The words, the sights, the pressure, the pain...

"Grrr-HYEAH!" Frustrated, Venice raised his fist, running at Shadow to land a physical attack. If he couldn't use his powers, he'd have to end this physically… even if he didn't know how.

Almost before he could blink, the ebony hedgehog pulled a green chaos emerald out from his quills.

"**Chaos control**!"

Time has slowed, almost stopped. Venice could only keep his eyes on his target before Shadow moved, faster than himself. Time resumed the second he felt himself be roundhouse kicked in the back of the head, sending him tumbling to the ground.

It took Venice a second to gather himself, disoriented from the time halting, but realizing that he had met his match with this opponent. This Mephiles. His ears twisted back in anger. That feeling of having lost against _him _...

"Y-You…!"

"Don't bother. With a Chaos Emerald, I control time and space. You can't break free."

_"When you use Chaos Control, you become the very essence of time and space." Mephiles spoke, holding his violet emerald above the child. _ _Silver, no more than five, gazed at the crystal. It was like a fairytale item he'd read about in stories from the old fairytale books! It captivated him! _ _"Silver, when you hold this gem," the shadow spoke, placing the emerald in his tiny hand, "you can control time and space. No one can break free from such a tight hold. Nobody." _ _The tiny hedgehog felt the smooth emerald before wrapping it in a tiny embrace into his chest. It was warm, docile, and unique. Something within him stirred with familiarity, as if he knew all of this before being told. Like this piece was so smart and yet… he did not know it. _ _"That ability is known as Chaos Control. It can transform any thought you have into reality." He watched the young hedgehog glow with a chaotic and familiar energy. He most certainly was the one he felt in this time, the one who would rejoin him and Iblis. He just had to awaken this puppet's power. _ _"Now," Mephiles spoke, using his crystalline appendages to snatch the emerald away, making the little hedgehog whine. The energy from the emerald brightened, creating crystalline arrows that targeted the child's palms and feet. "Let us get back to practice." _

_/Mephiles… He knew about chaos energy. That was the same lesson they had learned so very long ago… This __**has **__to be him./ _

"N-No! I won't give up!" Venice struggled to his feet, shaking his head as he fought against the dissociation that washed over his from the other one being awake. "It all depends on me! And if I plan on destroying you, then…" His eyes glared at the ebony hedgehog as he reached into his back quills, pulling out the cobalt chaos emerald.

"CHAOS-"

"Chaos-"

"**Control!**"

The two threw their arms together, each holding the green and blue emerald respectively as sparks of light shot into the sky above them. As the two stepped back, a swirling indigo vortex appeared between them. Shadow's eyes went wide at the inducement and turned to the white hedgehog.

"You induced Chaos Control…"

Venice blinked, unsure of what this form of Chaos Control was. In all his years, He's never seen it create portals (apart from being transported to the past) with his own eyes. He was awestruck and confused, looking at the blue emerald before tucking it securely back into his quills.

"I… I won't let anyone get in my way." He locks eyes with Shadow again. "Mephiles, you're responsible for my world being the way it is. I **will **stop yo-"

The black and red hedgehog took a few steps closer to Venice, his patience wearing thin as he grabbed his tuft of fur.

"I. Am. **Not. **Mephiles."

With that, he pushed Venice away and crossed his arms. He turned away. Silence surrounded the two of them as the space-time rift swirl in the silence between them.

/I don't understand… Mephiles, **this** Mephiles, he's… He's not.../

[_ He's __**not**__ Mephiles.] _

The reflection looked back at Silver who stood at the other end. Venice hung his head in shame, shaking it as he clenched his fists. He felt... disappointed. Tired. Drained of all of his energy, left in a state of exhaustion.

/W-Why…? Why can't I end him…? I just want.../

Shadow looked back at the kid who had his hand pressed against the bandage where his head wound was. He groaned weakly, the energy colors changing from scarlet to cyan.

[_ Let me handle this. I can find the answers.] _

/How? You won't stand a chance against Mephiles!/

[_ This __**isn't**__ Mephiles. Now let me take over.] _

The hedgehog lifted his head, once blue eyes were now gold and less abrasive in appearance. Shadow raised a brow at this, silently judging and asking himself questions about this stranger.

"Mephiles, he told me…" Silver spoke, his voice was less confrontational as he stood, looking unbiased at Shadow. "That I have to fix my future by killing someone named the Iblis Trigger. His name is Sonic."

In a disappointed and slightly frustrated huff, Shadow shook his head.

"Mephiles isn't trying to help you create a better future... He's trying to eliminate the past."

Confused, Silver tilted his head.

"W-What? What do you mean?"

"To discover what happened, it seems we must see what took place 10 years ago." Shadow and Silver turn to the portal before looking at each other. "Follow me if you want to know the truth." Shadow glances at him before jumping into the portal.

[_ It seems like he will give us answers.] _

/Or he's misleading you into danger.../

[...]

Silver hesitates before shaking his head.

[_ I need to discover what happened, Venice. I need to know Mephiles' true intentions.] _

He jumps into the portal.

* * *

The portal had less of an effect on him than Mephiles' earlier. It could've been due to the way the portal was created, or the fact that he had acknowledged his chaos power, telekinesis. It was an enigma to him, something he was confused about but unwilling to investigate it. Not at the moment at least.

Shadow and Silver landed on their feet into what appeared to be a hallway. Sterile, cleaned recently, bearing the appearance of a laboratory. Somewhere deep underground Soleanna. They looked around at the strange sight as Silver took a cautious step towards the walls, feeling how smooth they were. He could hear distant voices, somewhere within the same building they were in.

_"An electromagnetic pulse has just been generated! Injecting a decompression agent! No, the level's not dropping!"_

_"A spatial meltdown is inevitable! My Lord, it's too late! We've got to take shelter!"_

Silver hesitated to speak, his voice softer than a whisper.

"Where... are we?"  
"Soleanna. Ten years ago."

Silver repeated the words in his head as he took another step. He froze upon hearing a distant thud ahead of them in the hallway.

_"Why, Solaris? Why do you refuse to listen to my voice?!"_

_"Father!"_

_"Elise!?"_

Not too long after, there is a loud explosion that shakes the facility. Silver and Shadow keep their gaze on the hallway ahead of them, waiting until the lab stops rumbling to move. Looking towards each other, they nod and take off.

"Through here." Shadow instructed, jumping into one of the air vents overhead.

"Right." Silver nodded, following the ebony hedgehog.

Using his telekinesis, Silver unlocked one of the vent doors, allowing it to drop to the floor and jump out onto the scene.

Ashes. Smoke. Embers. That is all there was left of the lab located deep under the waters. A destroyed canister in the center, cracked and shattered monitors lay misaligned on their posts, dead bodies of scientists strewn about.

The site was a total ground zero.

"What... What _is_ all of this?" Silver asked in horror as he looked at the pure destruction.

"A research project gone horribly wrong."

The answer was almost too cold to hear as if the words had been deep-seated in the black and red hedgehog's chest. He took notice of an unconscious man and ran to his side, checking for a pulse.

Silver looked around at the multitude of dead bodies. It all... reminded him of something. Something too familiar. Something painful.  
A dream. A dream from a time long ago.  
The images of the bodies, mangled and broken. People choking on their blood. Survivors that died at the hands of-

_*Crackle!*_

_*drip!*_

His thoughts were interrupted at the sound of crackling flames and liquid spilling. Standing, the silver hedgehog watched in perplexment.

"Is... is that...?"

Flames swirled around the core of this... star? Ball of energy? Something indescribable. It was... beautiful but dangerous. An entity with a creation shrouded in misty uncertainty.  
Speaking of mist, there was a thick black cloud of it as black liquid spilled onto the floor.

The flames shrunk from glorious and magnificent to tiny and split up. The resemblance of a dwarf planet, a star, is what it was. It began to break, the fallen particles being collected in the overflowing basin below it. Flames began to replace the once whole star, making this top half...

"The Flames... it's Iblis!"

Silver could feel the flames from where he was standing. It was powerful, lusting for more power and destruction as it's form stabilized.

"And that black shadow is the original Mephiles." Shadow pointed out as the black liquid and haze began to converge into one entity, swirling around before stabilizing on the ground.

"_That's _Mephiles?" Silver watched, almost taken back by what he was seeing.

/I see... so he was.../  
_[Split from a whole?]_  
/Appears so./

The flames and dark blob danced around each other before heading into different parts of the laboratory.

"They're escaping!"

"We'll have to split up. I'll pursue Mephiles."

"Okay, then leave Iblis to me!"

The two began to take off before they were stopped by the sound of an old man struggling to stand up.

_"W-Wait..."_

Shadow looked back to see the Duke of Soleanna pull out a scepter from the inside of his coat. He knelt beside the weakened leader of the city to hear him out.

_"Seal it... with this."_

Taking the scepter, the ebony hedgehog gets a good look at it and nods, knowing exactly what it is used for.

"Let's hurry before anything else happens!" Silver calls to Shadow, running deep within the laboratory.

* * *

Aquatic Base was strange and cryptic. Many scientific studies and researches seemed to have been created, but most were advancements having to deal with time-travel, molecular reconstruction, and other reality-altering experiments. It was strange and gave a vague sense of deja-vu to the teen that he quite couldn't shake. Not to mention, he and Shadow were locked presumably many miles underwater, right below Soleanna. It was crucial to keep the two entities from causing any further damage to the facility.  
He occasionally met up with Shadow, the rooms themselves meeting at certain intersections before branching off into different wide open and narrow pathways.

As Silver fought the monsters that were created by the two destructive entities, he could feel he was getting closer. Closer to something that he was determined to find- answers to questions he's been trying to avoid...  
_'Why was he so afraid of remembering things?'_  
_'Who was Mephiles? What is his history with him?'_  
_'Why are there two of me?'_

He spot the trail of flames dance deep into the facility and into a room. One with a dead end.

_Perfect._

"**Iblis**!" Silver shouted, jumping into the room and thrusting his hand forward.

His eyes widened as he felt the split part of deity energy pulsate through his telekinetic markings, straight into his veins. Chaos energy mixing with god energy. He felt rejuvenated but beyond devastated in terms of power.  
It was unstable yet stable.  
Clean yet unclean.  
Muddy but clear.  
There was no word for it.  
A misty haze that clouded his mental vision, creating a thick sense of realization, leaving the hedgehog alone, stranded in the recesses of his mind.

Visions, faint memories playing like an endless broken film reel over and over.  
The feeling of dreaming and falling endlessly.  
Trying to see through a fogged window, stained glass that distorts shapes and sizes.  
Stuck in a perpetual loop of unfathomable mixed up puzzle pieces unwilling to be put back together.

He could hear it...

A memory he had long forgotten, trapped deep within his subconscious, hoping to never resurface...

And he **listened**.


	7. Ozymandias

"..._Unfit to raise a child with the ancient bloodline."_

His vision was black as he listened, falling in a perpetual sleep that he couldn't wake up from.

"_Iblis_."

Bloodcurdling screams and waits of familiar voices.

"_Come, prey awaits you_."

He opens his eyes.

The ethereal apparition of the hedgehog stood in front of a house. Burning, smoldering embers dancing wildly into the crimson sky. The scent of burning flesh, the smell of pine boards alit as the flames engulfed them.

This was it, this was when everything **burned**.

There was a flash of bright orange, and he found himself now looking from a… smaller perspective. A child, reaching out and screaming in anguish, his smoke-filled lungs making his choker cries echo onto the night. Haunting and chilling. Something he never wanted to remember.

He could **feel **it.

The burning in his hands up to his wrists, his legs trapped under burning rubble, his tears evaporating before they could hit the ground.

The child, the 4-year-old, stared at his parents.

_"MAMA! PAPA!" _

Their corpses were desecrated, burnt beyond recognition, mouths agape and eyes melted out of their sockets. Embers still hot on their ashen skin as pieces of the epidermis seemed to fall away with the harsh wind.

Silver could feel the pain, the **anguish**…

This was when he realized just how decimated his world was by the flames. The Flames of Disaster, as he so aptly named it. The heated rock around him was now coals, hearing the flames as they seemed to cease their liveliness.

_"I finally found you." _

The child weakly looked to the unknown voice, a shadow with a faint silhouette in the middle of his burnt sienna environment. Stifling his cries and desperately struggling to stay conscious, Silver tried to push himself up to get a look at the strange vision.

Footsteps echoed the crackling of flames as another being- a mobian? A survivor?- stepped into his view, kneeling down to the child. The shadowy hedgehog used his dark mist to cease the flames around Silver, wielding it expertly as if without even trying. He formed the energy into a beam, firing it at the burnt pillar and disintegrating it.

"_Yes… I feel it hibernating within you." The voice was oddly calm despite the destruction that surrounded them. It brought a chill to Silver's spine. "The ancient powerline, it lies in waiting, until the mind is prepared to wield such power."_

"_M… My mama… My papa…_" The child sniffled, not listening to a word the shadow said to him.

"_It is exactly what I need. And I will teach you how to use it properly so that you can bring about the greatest event of all time- the Day of Disaster_."

The child looked up into the eyes of this being. Verdant and harsh toxic-like green with a slim pupil. It bore into the child's mind and filled him with fear and terror. He watched as he held a white and gray glove out to him, open-handed and a sign of offering help.

"_Yes… It is quite difficult to understand why the world is this way, especially to your infantile mindset, but come. I will bring you to safety and ensure that you grow up… Properly_."

The child cried, his broken voice straining as he clenched the ashes under him, tears falling. He could no longer see the corpses of his mother and father, instead, what once were flames were now covered in a sea of black. Pure melancholic energy that chilled his pained bones.

Desperate for safety, the child reached out and tightly gripped the shadow-being's hand. His fingers wrapped around the young hedgehog's wrist, forcefully pulling him up as the being's form began to lift and dissipate, giving way to a crystallized unidentifiable species- a demon.

The child whimpered at the terrifying image before him, feeling faint at the mere sight of the demon.

"..._**My puppet**_."

Silver gasped at the sudden pain that nailed into his head, making him shut his eyes. The feeling of the energy, _Iblis's energy, _beating through his veins.

He remembered…

He **remembered.**

"_Mephiles_ _is what you may call me."_

His vision went black as he felt the feeling of falling endlessly once more. Chaotic, painful, indescribable torment of what he just witnessed and recalled played on a loop in his head. He felt sick with anger and grief, wanting to cry and get revenge for what he has forgotten so long ago.

"I knew it… All along, it was you…" he softly whispered as anger began to settle uncomfortably in his chest.

When his vision came to, he wasn't back in the lab. He was still reliving these memories. These awful, corrupt, and traumatic memories that he held locked away.

Mephiles stared at the bloodied and lacerated child on the floor. The hedgehog, the 9-year-old child lay there motionless, battered, and broken in spirits. The grayscale hedgehog knelt by him, waving a hand over him as black mist engulfed the child. So many years of the same torture, and yet, not a single ounce of chaos energy dared to show.

Oh, but he knew this child, his weapon, held it. He could feel it. That unstable energy in his power points, the fact that he was overattentive and hyper-focused on the small things, lastly, the fact that items seemed to move around him as he slept. His power was dormant. But how? Mephiles has exhausted every technique to try and kick start his powers into his awareness, yet nothing was working.

It was... very annoying.

Irritating.

Infuriating.

So what other option did he have than to resort to physical measures? With some mental gymnastics as well.

He didn't care if it broke him.

He only cared about his potential power.

Because that was all he needed in the end.

The black mist swirled around the child, healing him somewhat before dissipating. Silver lay there, willpower completely shattered, trying to find a way to escape this endless cycle of torture. It was the same every day: psychological abuse, mind games, emotional manipulation, illusionary survivors, tricking him to kill, and now, endless physical torture until Mephiles deemed it was enough for the day.

He was _so. tired._

Even breathing was difficult. He didn't want to breathe anymore. He didn't want to be alive if this was going to be the rest of his life. Ever since his parent's death by the hands of Mephiles and Iblis, he's been broken. Lost. Living without a purpose other than to be of use to this vague entity that gave him crude attention and immense pain.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He just... wanted to disappear. After all, what was the point of existing if every day was a struggle? Some sort of vague idea of an absolution that will never come true. He had no one, no one other than an entity whose concept of companionship was immense torture.

He closes his eyes, not wanting to wake up...

"_**Mephiles.**_"

The shadow remains unmoving, vague as the broken child finally stands, unsteady on his feet. His curiosity is piqued when Silver, the child who refused to even look in his direction, shot his eyes open at the shadow, gold meeting verdant green. His voice, despite how young he was, sounded gruff and hardened.

"_Do your worst._"

Mephiles was interested now. This was certainly a turn of events! His weapon was acting so much different than before... did it have to do with the chaos energy? Perhaps it was starting to activate. He knew the gold inhibitors were infused with energy restraining power, and maybe, just maybe, it was starting to react to the child's inborn chaos energy.

_"What is this now? Have you finally started to realize your potential?"_

Instead of an obedient and terrified reply, a cold locked on glare was the answer. This was truly intriguing! The shadow crossed his arms, his eyes observing this new attitude that came from his weapon.

The bright gold eyes seemed to glow against the deep violet haze of his lair. Icy, void of any emotion other than what seemed to be a silent rage. His energy- chaos energy- felt… otherworldly. The strength within this child was so much, so... chaotic. Coursing through his veins as his body emanated a slightly red aura.

These hints of scarlet that seemed to hug the outline of his body… perhaps this was his energy signature.

Strange…

Still no visible power-points on the child.

_"... What is it that you plan to do, my puppet?"_

The other side of the child only turned away before thrusting his hands out, focusing as much as he could to do… something. Something that he knew he could do. He squinted his eyes in concentration, invisible hands reaching into the thick crystal and attempting to tear apart the molecules.

Chunks of rock fell, crystalline surfaces cracking as sweat began to form on the child's brow.

Yet, it failed.

_"Using a power that you do not know about, is That how you plan to awaken it?"_ Mephiles pondered aloud, moving his finger as crystal tendrils burst from the ground.

The child stifled a cry as said tendrils crushed his body, knocking his concentration… as if it would be any good to even try to use it. Thorns poked into his flesh, the crimson blood spilling onto the crystal as his head hung low.

_"Amusing, little one." _The effigy of darkness took a step towards the child. His fingers gently lifting his chin to look into those off-putting eyes. _"You never stop intriguing me."_

The child didn't move, the original began to weep, mumbling pathetically to be free as the blood spilled down his legs. He was so alone. So afraid…

_"Close. Very close."_ Mephiles' form shifted from the mobian hedgehog to the crystalline demon. He approached the child, lifting his chin and locking eyes with the kid. _"Yet, you fail to realize that you, the way you are,"_ a crystal tendril struck the child in the stomach, making him cough and retch in pain as the demon backed away. _"Right now, you are powerless."_

The tendrils dug tighter into the child's limbs, thick mist closing in around the hedgehog and the demon, the view around them shifting from the crystal hideout that was Mephiles' to the sky of Crisis City. An illusion, a projection.

More images. More screams of terror, more audible torture of children crying out for their families, the sound of Iblis and its beings screech into the night, and then.. the sight. The memory. The illusionary vision created the memory, the view of what started this all- the death of Silver's parents.

The vision was through Mephiles' eyes,

the final moments as Iblis' minions tore the child's parents to shreds. He didn't control Iblis nor his minions, but he could influence where they would attack next.

He merely watched, his eyes glued to the child and ready to see if the ancient chaos energy would awaken. The cries of the child, the grotesque noises from the deceased mobians that lay strewn across the ground, the heat of the minions as they rip and tear, causing havoc all around them.

_[I can't… momma… papa…]_

_/.../_

_/I want this… to go away…/_

_[Away?]_

_[Go. Away.]_

_/Go… Away.../_

_[Go Away!]_

_**[/"GO AWAY!"/]**_

Within a split second, what was one had become two. Like a ripple in a pond, the crystal limbs around the child had shattered into dust, his body glowing with blinding scarlet energy as he levitated. Throwing his hands out, he created a large hole in the roof of the lair, resulting in the entire cavern exploding into gem dust.

_"You keep impressing me, Silver."_ He reformed from the shards of crystal. _"The orphan of a dystopian world wrecked with misery. Despite your tragic life, you continue to persist."_

The child levitated past him. Staring into his reflection, he noticed the bruises and lacerations were healed and he had newfound energy and strength. Regardless, he turned to the crystal figure.

_"...Yes, I see. I see the beginning of a story- your story, Silver."_ Mephiles approached the child but was flung back from a shockwave of cyan telekinesis. He caught himself with his dark mist and approached him once more. _"The ancient blood that courses through your veins… it will be exactly what __**I **__need."_

The original, the one named Silver stared into the eyes of the demon, frozen in fear. The second, the one without a name, metaphorically stepped in front of him. Protecting him.

He said nothing as the child's eyes shifted from the rich gold to a harsh light blue. The aura around the child had also changed from cyan to scarlet. Focusing on the newfound power the other had, the one without a name clenched his fingers and shut his eyes. Pieces of broken crystal and rocks lifted around Mephiles before hammering into him with such force and velocity, it rocked the ground beneath him.

When the child reopened his eyes, he saw nothing. Nothing but a large boulder held together with force and crashing into the target. There was no doubt- Mephiles was defeated. He was free.

_/Free./_

_/We- __**I**__. __**I **__am free./_

The child landed atop one of the stones above the pair as he overlooked the city. He looked into the scarlet pulsing energy symbols on his arms as well as the bracelets that were given to him. This power, with this power, he can save the remaining people of his world. The ruined city. He levitated once more and flew into the unknown of the city.

As he flew over the lava-filled streets, he could hear the yelp of someone. He looked in the direction of the cry and dashed to it. He saw a girl, about a year younger than him, cowering as an Iblis monster raised a flaming boulder, ready to slam it into the girl.

The cat, facing her death and exhausted from overuse of her powers, cowered with her eyes shut.

…

But the impact never came.

As the young cat opened her eyes, she saw the silhouette of a boy standing over her. His arms were extended, holding the boulder with an unknown energy. She watched as he strained, lifting his arms and sending it back in the face of the monster. The boy panted, his consciousness wearing thin as he struggled to stay standing.

_"Are… Are you alright?" _The hedgehog straightened up, his gold eyes and cyan symbols on his hands were bright, as was his expression. One of naivety and kindness. He held his hand out to the cat.

The cat hesitated, more amazed at the soft energy emanating from his hands and bracelets. She finally took his hand, standing and looking in shock at the Iblis minion on the ground, dead and turning into ash and embers.

"I'm Silver." He spoke softly, observing her body language and stance.

_"...Blaze…"_

_"That's a really pretty name!"_

_"...Thank you…"_

Mephiles had vanished long before he could be caught in the eye of the storm, yet he lurked, watching in the shadows. He could not care about his lair, rather he cared that now, finally, after many years, the ancient energy had surfaced. As it was all that he needed… to become Solaris.

He gasped as he suddenly found himself back on the real world, the present-past he was in. His hold on the flames of Iblis above an altar, the godly energy transferring out of his body and back into the fire.

Footsteps caught his attention, swiftly whipping his head around.

The Duke, mortally wounded and holding his unconscious daughter in his arms, approached the middle of the room.

Venice stepped in, taking over to talk since he knew Silver couldn't.

"What are you doing here?! You gotta get out!"

The old man simply shook his head, looking down at his unconscious child. Regret was heavy in his eyes as he looked up to the restrained Iblis.

"I have my duty. This Living Flame has been entrusted to the royal family." "The Flames of Disaster will awaken if nothing is done! That must not happen."

He really approaches the altar, gently putting his beloved daughter on it. He takes a step back and pulls out a white Chaos Emerald. He takes a desperate look at the emerald, then the flames. He didn't want to do this to his daughter, but… he didn't have a choice.

"Eternal Sun! The Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber with a royal soul!"

He held his hand open, allowing the emerald to hover above the childlike princess and absorb Iblis. The flames began to shrink as they were absorbed into the chaos emerald, then transferred to the young princess.

Silver stopped his psychokinesis, panting silently as he stared at the actions of the dying monarch. He was exhausted, drained of energy, drained of every emotion besides grief and regret, and still in shock over the memories.

Yet Venice watched, taking control to give Silver a break from the front.

The Duke collapsed at the altar, coughing harshly and gasping for breath. No doubt dying from internal injuries. His shaky arms cuddled his daughter as he wheezed, "I-I am sorry, but… can you take her to a safe place?"

Venice, understanding the feeling of having lost a family member, nodded, and took the girl knowing his arms. She was a lot lighter than she appeared.

The Duke weakly brushed her red hair back from her unconscious face as he spoke, "That's a good girl, Elise. Remember, be brave. Don't cry, no matter what happens." He placed the girl's dangling hand back on her chest, his eyes narrowing as he felt his life draining. "Otherwise your tears will call forth the flames inside you... Become a strong queen who doesn't cry no matter what happens. And... live... happily…"

Venice watched as the Duke collapsed, leaving him alone in the lab room with another chaos emerald and now an unconscious princess. He took a deep breath, giving a moment of silence for the passed on monarch before he looked at the chaos emerald that gently set itself down on the altar.

_/Another Chaos Emerald./_

_[...]_

_/… We should hold onto it./_

_[...]_

Venice went to the table, picking up the gem and tucking it into his back quills. He began to walk out of the Aquatic Base, his footsteps echoing the empty and destroyed facility.

[_You were right. This whole time… You were right, Venice. And I didn't listen_.]


	8. Quondam

Venice made his way backtracking through the decrepit lab. It was silent, chilling, and eerie. It was terrifying. Or would be if he wasn't numb to any physical stimuli right now. He still carried the princess, the Chaos Emeralds were securely tucked into his quills, and the flames were sealed. What's done is done. Yet everything felt off.

He retreated into his mind, approaching the glass that was heavily cracked, threatening to fall away at the slightest touch.

"I didn't want you to find out this way," Venice spoke, eyeing his copy through the splintered glass between him and Silver.

That was a lie. Silver needed to see this. He needed to remember. Venice had no idea how much longer he could keep the pain inside; Silver had to know. There was no _right_ way to tell him without breaking him. Seeing it for himself, that seemed to be the right thing.

"I... didn't know..." He murmured, facing away from his reflection. "I didn't know that... mom and dad, they..."

There was a long silence as Venice sat on the other side of the glass, pressing his hand against the cracked lines as if he was longing for his other half. "You knew. You knew this whole time. You were just... blind to it."

"Blind?!" Silver turned his glare to the reflection, standing and stomping over to his copy. "_I'm _the one who's _blind_?! You could have at least told me what happened! You could've saved me so many years of-"

"It wouldn't have mattered if I told you or not," Venice spoke calmly, eyeing his twin. "Right way or wrong way, you would be devastated like you are right now no matter how you found out."

The young hedgehog stared at the mink, trying to desperately find any sign of lying or leading him on just to get a rise out of him. He didn't see it. He saw compassion, something he believed Venice to be incapable of feeling, masked only by his jurisdiction of an aimed gun at Mephiles. But now he could understand why.

Venice was merely him, but the part of him that despised what he's had to endure. He may look different, but he was him.  
He _was_ Venice. Venice was _him_.  
Castor and Pollux like the ancient tale from the tomes of old.  
Identical twins with different roles in the world.  
In _his_ world...

...Now he felt more stupid than ever before.

His realization was slowly dawning on him, pondering as his eyes widened.

"You're me..."

At the uttering of those words, the mirror cracked further before pieces of glass began to fall around the two of them, fading into nothingness like stars into the universe. Two entities now in a vacuum of space in his mind, a once heavily overcast and foggy place was clear as day. He was staring into his copy's eyes as Venice, so it seemed, had a relieved grin. He sat against the now nonexistent pane of glass, turned away from his copy.

He gave a faint chuckle. "I am. As much as you are me." He finally spoke, his soft voice just barely reaching Silver's ears.

Silver approached him, sitting in the formless void with his back against the other. He was real, he could feel the mink's back rise and fall in tandem with his own. They were in unison for the first time, he could feel the connection between them tied at the wrists and legs; tied at their powerpoints. They've always been connected, always tied together with the same mentality, the same memories. Maybe not the same thoughts and feelings, but they're in tandem as a marionette and the puppetmaster. All of this, the switching, the amnesia, it all seems to make sense now.

But then... what _does_ that make them? Not brothers, but... guardians? No, that doesn't make sense...

The other gave a silent laugh, "I'm here to protect you." Venice finally says unmoving. "When Mephiles broke us to the point of becoming two, that was when I..." he makes air quotes, "'woke up'." He looked to the corner of his peripheral, just barely meeting Silver's golden glassy eyes. "And when you 'fell asleep'."

Silver turns his unreadable face away from his copy. He pulled his knees up to his chest, hiding his face into his arms as he let out a shaky breath. It was a lot to take in; realizing that you're in fact two people instead of one whole being is an enigma. A strain on the mind to understand in any aspect, but _living_ it... living in the same body with another person...

"All of this... it's so much." He murmured. "Am I crazy? Is this it? Am I just... some broken puzzle with no pieces? Something that just can't comprehend anything?"

His quills bristled as he felt arms wrap around him. The feeling, the warmth... it mimicked Blaze's emotional comfort. He remembers this feeling. It was soft and constricting, yet secure. Not tight enough to hurt, but tight enough to make him melt into it.

"I am you, but the part that wants to protect you. The part that's hardened from everything Mephiles put us through." Venice spoke, sternness in the tone that made Silver feel smaller than him despite being the same height. "I... don't fully understand it myself. I only exist to protect you from the damage Mephiles has done."

"Then why didn't you stop him when you had the chance?" Silver's voice gets heavy, his shoulders trembling as he feels the sobs get trapped in his throat.

Venice can only muster a pitiful laugh, his grip around his other half tightening. "Because I didn't know how." The mink holds his twin closer to himself as he shut his eyes. "All I know is that Mephiles... he will pay for what he's done to our world... for what he's done to us." His tight hug loosens somewhat as if his inner feelings are making him feel less sure of his words. "I want justice for mom and dad. Justice for our future. Justice for _us_."

Silver shakily moves his hands up, wanting to push him away, wanting to scream and yell at him. He was angry for not being told sooner, angry at the fact that Venice didn't _do_ something sooner, angry for what he went through. Angry for what he saw.

And yet...

He desperately held onto Venice's arms, hiding his face into them as he cried. He never felt so alone yet so full of a twister of emotions before. It was terrifying. He truly felt like a split piece of a whole, feeling lost and torn- disheveled from trauma and trying to cope in the only way he knows how.

When he opened his eyes, he could barely gather his external bearings. He was no longer in the void of his mind, but outside of the lab. He saw the princess in his arms and bit his cheek. He had to make sure she was strong, protected from everything after losing everything.

Funny.

He'd never thought he'd understand the young princess, but the memories of her father dying before him... it was all too familiar.

Outside of the lab stood Shadow. He observed the swirling violet mist of energy in the scepter he held. Darkness... it was odd. Inescapable blackness that will eventually shroud over light... the thought rang in his head, making him growl to himself. He hated thinking of endings. Especially bleak endings with no resulting peace at the end of a journey. The hedgehog's ears turned in the direction of the footsteps approaching, prompting him to look over at his acquaintance. He was thankful that now he has a distraction from his wandering thoughts.

Silver walked past Shadow, placing Elise down by a nearby tree to rest and was now staring blankly at her. He had a lot he wanted to say and a lot he couldn't bring himself to say. With a heavy sigh, he lowers his head. As he rises, he sees movement from the corner of his eyes, watching as Shadow (that's right, he almost forgot he was with him), placed a silver and purple scepter down beside her.

"You're just going to leave it here?"

"Yes. I already know what becomes of it in the future."

Silver looked down at the familiar deep purple energy radiating from the orb at the top. His fists clenched as he began to remember the shadow that stood before him as a child. His mind swirling in a whirlpool of emotions. He was drowning in memories, past feelings, and old wounds being torn open. He hasn't felt so much pain, anger, and confusion in his life. He wanted Mephiles to suffer. To feel his wrath. To understand that he won't be messed with ever again.

But... then the question is, couldn't he just go back in time and prevent Mephiles from breaking him? He could stop his parents from meeting an untimely end, he could destroy Mephiles before he destroyed his mind.

The mere thought makes Venice push himself to the front, taking full control. Needless to say, he harbored more hatred than Silver due to the years of abuse. If there was a way to keep himself from watching the traumatic flashbacks over and over again, he would take it in a heartbeat.

Venice tightly held the white emerald in his hand as he walked up to Shadow, burning desire in his eyes. The ebony hedgehog rose a brow at him as he saw his hand extend.

"Your emerald."  
"Excuse me?"  
"Your chaos emerald. I need to go back in time."

Shadow only stared into those icy cyan eyes. He turned his head away. He scoffed.

"What? You've lost more than your sanity if you believe I'm giving up my emerald."

"Then I guess I'm crazy." Venice grits his fangs, getting in Shadow's face. "I didn't say give it up, I said I need to go back in time."

"Do it yourself." Was the only response he spat back at him.

The alter paused, thinking it over. Reaching into his back quills, he held onto the rich blue emerald. He had two of them, that's all it took right?

He didn't have time for this. All of this thinking, this idiocy, all of these overbearing thoughts. Just Silver reliving it over and over again was enough torture.

He threw his hands up, emeralds held to the sky as he concentrated, "Chaos...!"

Venice could see the different timelines, different scenarios playing like film reels in his eyes as they illuminated with a bright frosted blue.

_/Wait...  
__I need a timeline.  
__Okay, I can do this...  
__I'm already ten years into the past, surely going forward 200 years wouldn't be that big of a deal./_

"Contro-!"

His energy halted, the rush of chaos energy going from freely flowing into his body to being sucked out back into the emeralds was too much too fast. He struggled to stay standing, willing his chaos energy to comply with him. Even if he was exhausted from his previous use of it, he had to do this.

No matter the repercussions.

"CHAOS...!" Venice shouted, his eyes tightly shut as he felt the possibility to will the power to his needs open up again.

/_Ten years.  
__Ten years, back in...  
__Wait...  
__Would it be 200 years...?  
__I'm already 10 years behind the current timeline, and I wasn't_-/

As quick as it energized him, the energy retreated into the emeralds. Too much too fast again. Almost as if he wasn't powerful enough to do it. Venice lost his balance from overwhelming vertigo, he kept his eyes shut as he tried to gain his equilibrium.

Shadow watched with a stoic look of pity. The kid has guts, trying to induce Chaos Control twice without another person. He's surprised he hasn't caved in from the raw power of the gems yet. He had to say, he admired 'Silver's' tenacity.

"Without a clear destination and motive, the energy fades. You have only a second to open a time rift." Shadow explained.

"200 years into the future. I know the time, I know the place, I..." He struggled to say, keeping his eyes shut as the dizziness was soon replaced by a deeply rooted melancholic bitterness.

He didn't want to remember.  
It hurt too much to remember.

But he had to remember. He had to see everything as it flashed before him. The pain inflicted on him, remembering being tricked to do harm, being beaten down...

"Then it should be no problem."  
"Then why is it being one?!"

Shadow is surprised by the outburst and only raises a brow. Despite just being reduced to an exhausted mess of trembling bones, the hedgehog stood strong, a desperate and burning hatred plastered on his face. The teen's eyes were bright and intense gold, his energy colors back to teal.

_How in the world was this even possible?_

He didn't look fazed at his voice, instead, he sighed as he had to explain the basics to him, "Only two people can induce Chaos Control to cause a time rift. Doing it by yourself, even with a plan or idea, won't work.

"Then do it with me!" He puts his hand holding the chaos emerald up, glaring at Shadow with determination. "We need to go forward, 200 years from now!"

"We don't have time for games." He shook his head.

"This isn't a game!" Silver shouted, clenching his free hand into a tight fist. "This is my _life_ I need to fix!"

Shadow rose a brow. He was more confused than even Sonic was at trying to understand the laws of gravity. Still, wanting to fix things that have gone wrong in your life, _that_ he understood.

"You can't. Whatever happened, happened, and you can't stop it."

Silver shoved him away, "What's that supposed to mean!?" he's had it with the ambiguity of everything. People who had answers not being upfront with him- treating him like a child. He was _tired_ of it.

Shadow, steadied his stance and glared down the teen. He got in his face, hands resting at his side as if he needed to use them if things got out of control. "You can only play by the rules of time, you can't change them. Whatever happened to you in your life was destined to happen, even if you go back in time."

Silver shakes his head frivolously, taking a step back at the intimidating glare.

"What do you mean?"

"No matter how many times you go back, you can't change the past." Shadow's words are slow and careful as if he wasn't only speaking to Silver in this case, but reminding himself. "The past _happened_. You cannot change it."

Silver couldn't accept that answer, it was too vague. Too full of plotholes for him to understand it fully. Time travel, Chaos Control, the past... it was all blurring the lines between reality and falsehoods. He didn't like it because to him, it didn't make sense.

Why couldn't he go back and rewrite his past?

It seems easy enough: go back in time, kill Mephiles, and see his family thrive.

"I can go back in time and stop Iblis." Silver states. "I could probably stop him long before _this_ happens." He gestures with an open hand to Elise and the scepter.

"Iblis will still exist," Shadow says crossing his arms over his chest as if this was a pointless talk. "The past is always guaranteed to happen."

/He's right./  
[_What?!_]

Silver turned to face Venice who was standing behind him. He was furious to hear, well, _himself_, actually agree with what was being said. ["_You can't be serious?! There's really nothing we can do!?_"]

/"Everything in a timeline is prewritten before it happens. Unless you know exactly where you want to be, nothing will change."/  
["_I want to be 200 years into the future so that I can stop Mephiles_!"]  
/"But do you _know_ where he is at that time? Do you _know_ what he was doing? Where exactly he was then?"/  
["_I saw it! He was guiding Iblis towards mom and dad_!"]

Venice shakes his head, laughing somewhat in annoyance and desperation. /"You still don't get it."/

["_Then tell me what I'm missing_!"] Silver steps towards the mink, glaring daggers at him.

/"Our past- _everyone's_ pasts- are written before we even know it happens!"/ He raises his voice, standing to his feet and clenching his fists, /"So you go forward in time and you don't see Mephiles. Then what? You're stuck there, watching it happen all over again! Watching yourself get beaten, bloodied, and breaking all over again, Silver!"/ He spits out each incident, grabbing his copy's shoulders roughly. He hangs his head as he shakes it slightly, his breath hitching in his throat. /"I can't stand to have that happen to us again."/ He looks into his eyes, pleading, begging him not to try and argue. He feels the stinging in the corners of his eyes, the painful sobs he's holding back.

Silver's anger and irritation melt, he looks down at the grass below as he blinks back to where his body is. Venice was just as hurt as he was about all of this. Despite being the emotionally stronger side, he was... afraid. Afraid of watching it happen again, afraid of feeling it happen again. Of course, he was- he's been around longer than he knows.

Upon hearing it, Silver looked down at his two chaos emeralds and put them back into his quills. He was...  
Despondant.  
That was the word.

For the first time, he felt as if there was nothing worth salvaging. He couldn't go back and save his parents, he couldn't stop Mephiles- hell, he _sided _with him and almost killed Sonic, which would've effectively made _him_ the Iblis trigger and...

"I could've stopped it... I could've... I could've saved them... but..." the hedgehog sat down on his knees in the grass as he struggled to find the words. "To know that I could've done something to stop him, all this time, and yet I did nothing..."

It didn't take a rocket scientist to know where Silver was getting at. Shadow knew probably more than anyone else what loss felt like. Having someone there one minute, and the next, gone. The black and red hedgehog turned his back on the kid, crossing his arms as he listened.

Silver threw his hands to his face, visibly shaking with a whirlwind of emotions inside of him. "This isn't fair! Why... Why do things have to be this way? I don't... I don't understand..."

He glanced back to the teen that knelt on the grass. He could feel his frustration, his misery. Whatever it was the kid saw or remembered was eating away at him. And, despite the battle just before they went back ten years, he felt as if he knew this kid before even meeting him. Shared trauma goes a long way, he guesses.

"Life doesn't and will never make sense." Shadow finally speaks up, his gaze fixated on the overcast sky above.

Silver's trembling lessened, letting his hands fall to his side. He stared at the grass below as tears continued to fall freely. His head and heart were a swirling mess right now. So many 'what ifs' running through his mind, so many times he could've changed how his life was, if only he just _knew._

"I could've saved them. This power," he looks at his palms, eyes sharply fixed on the permanent circular pulsating marks within, "if only I knew sooner that I was powerful, that I could move things without a single thought..." He clenches his fists, eyes screwed shut at the memory, "I could've stopped them from dying."

Death.  
Now it all made sense.

Of course, Shadow knew this topic better than anyone. He didn't need to tell his story. It was in the past, he put it behind him. But... he did understand the pain of losing someone close to you. Calling out to them as you see them fall...

"Put it behind you." He said, his voice was soft, less gruff.

Silver looked to the hedgehog, wiping some stray tears away.

Shadow turned to face the teen, taking a step towards him as he spoke, "the more you dwell on what could've done, the more pain you'll be in." He took a knee next to him, his ruby eyes staring intently into Silver's golden ones.

"I want him to _hurt_ for what he had done."

Right before his eyes, Shadow saw the younger teen's eye color change from gold to bright light blue. It surprised him to see it firsthand, but he kept his expression the same. The kid's voice was different in tone as if he truly wanted to destroy what had destroyed his life.

"We all want that for those who hurt us." The ebony hedgehog paused, remembering just how he felt the same so many years ago. "But if you constantly look out to hurt them, then you're no better than they are."

Venice shook his head, clenching his fists as he grit his teeth. "He's no better than anyone. He deserves to-"

"Deserves to die, right?"  
"More than anyone else."  
"Because he took what you loved."  
"Because he took my life from me!"

Admittedly, Shadow was surprised by the sharp change in the white hedgehog's voice. He saw the colors change once more and saw Silver look away from him.

"Before everything, before I was even aware of... anything, he... he killed them." He tightly shut his eyes, the memory of their charred corpses staining his vision, "I didn't even get a chance to... I-I couldn't reach my power, I..."

"...Whatever the case is," Shadow began, standing up, "you shouldn't let your past control you." He took out his green chaos emerald, picking his words carefully before speaking again, "when you let the past and what happened to take over, you started to replay every piece of hurt and pain that has ever happened to you; you give in to that voice that wants you to seek revenge." He shoots a glance at Silver, "Don't act for what could've been, act for what you can build from here on out."

Silver listened and reflected on what he was saying. He was right. If he gets too involved with the mind games, then he'll never act on his own accord. He may not have been able to back then, but he can now. And it's here and now that matters.

He wiped his eyes and took a big deep breath, trying to stop himself from giving in to the overwhelming sadness again. He had to pull through this, they're so close to solving this puzzle and he can't give up.

As he stood up, he heard Elise whimper in her sleep.

"Daddy..."

Both hedgehogs glanced at her, then at each other. Taking the blue chaos emerald, he approached her and knelt to her level. He watched the princess rest, her breathing was slow but she was alive. With gentle care, he placed the emerald in her open hand and closed her fingers around it.

"Its... a lucky charm." He smiled, trying to believe it himself at this point.

As Silver stepped away, he took the white chaos emerald from his quills and looked to Shadow. With a nod, both of them held their emeralds up.

"Chaos Control!"

A time rift split into space between them, swirling into a vortex of energy. Shadow jumped through. Silver hesitated before looking back to Elise. With a heavy sigh, he braided himself and jumped through.

Silver landed on his feet in the plaza. It was daytime and he could smell the salt from the sea in the air. What would be pleasant and welcomed just seemed to be a sensory overload at the moment. He couldn't stop replaying the death of his parents in his head, it was just...

"Silver!"

He looked in the direction of the noise, seeing Blaze running to him. She took him by his wrist, guiding him to the train station In a hurry.

"I saw Sonic run off towards that way! We need to follow the train east and we should come up to-"

"Blaze..."

The princess snapped her gaze towards him, "we don't have all day, Silver! We need to put an end to-"

"Blaze." His voice was soft, almost a whisper as he fixed his gaze on the pavement below. His free hand came to rest on top of hers.

The gesture made the cat stop herself from rushing. They stood there in the plaza, the sound of the sea behind them playing a melody of rhythmic waves that broke the silence.

"I... I need to talk to you. Please." His golden eyes finally met her ambers.

From his expression, she could tell that he needed someone right now. Whatever happened when she left must've been a lot for him to handle. The cat's hurried state settled and she focused on his downtroddened state.

"... Alright."


	9. Contemporary

"I see… so Sonic is not the Iblis Trigger." Blaze pondered, her eyes locked on the sunset.

"He is, but not in the way we've been led to believe." Silver was laying in the grass, Cloud gazing while continuing his explanation, "you see, the princess has Iblis sealed within her soul. If she cries, that breaks the seal and releases the flames."

Blaze listened intently, her posture relaxing as she lay back into the grass beside her partner.

"Since Sonic is so close to the princess, she may have an emotional attachment to him. If something happened to him and caused his death…"

"Then the flames of disaster would be unleashed."  
"Exactly."

The two lay side by side, staring at the strawberry colored sky. There was an air of uncomfortable stillness as if the truth did not free them. There were still things left inside, secrets hidden under the visibility of the mask he wore. But it wouldn't be long for it all to melt away.

"We can't continue to chase him then."

Silver looked over to his partner as she spoke.

"If we were to eliminate Sonic by any means, we would bring about the very thing we are trying to prevent." Blaze sighed, closing her eyes as she continues, "then that begs the question: what is the real way to stop the fires?"

Silver hummed in response, "I'm not sure." his eyes drifting back to the sky as he rests his hands behind his head. "But there has to be a way. We wouldn't be here if there wasn't."

/Mephiles is a liar though./  
[_Say what you want. I just want to fix our world_.]  
/And so do I. But first on _my _list is putting an end to that demon./

"Silver," Blaze began, sitting up as she watched the children playing around in the distance, "Do you remember when we were little?"

The hedgehog's ears perked up and he pushed himself into a sitting position, his legs crossed. "Huh?"

"I know it is a strange question given what we're talking about, but I can't stop thinking about something." The cat watched as the children played tag, chasing and laughing around the trees of Soleanna's forest. "Remember when it was my 10th birthday? You and I were fighting multiple phoenixes that set our little makeshift hut on fire. We treated it like a game of tag. I'd hit the monster, and you'd follow. It was juvenile, but it was nice." As she spoke, she saw one of the little kids fall, scraping their knee and wailing as their friend tended to them. "Then I was struck by one of their wings, and I remembered slamming into the debris that was our shelter. I heard you shout my name, then for a second, it felt like time stopped." Her amber eyes met Silver's gold ones and she smiled. "When I opened my eyes, there was something different about you."

Silver gulped as a feeling of shame and dread settled in the pit of his stomach. Did he really let himself lose control _th_at easily? Was Venice _that _stronger than him? How does he even respond to this? Sure, he remembers everything up until time stopping and a little bit after that, but to know that his friend noticed this extremely sensitive change in him…

"Oh…"

"When we first met, you were a lot different than you are now. Before you think it, it isn't a bad thing." She scoots closer to her friend, her eyes looking back at the kids, "Rather, I find it interesting. As if you've become someone different one day. Someone who shares your appearance, but not your personality." She smiled faintly as the children got back up and began laughing again, running off in a different direction.

Silver looked down at the grass, unaware that he was picking at the blades as she spoke. He felt _mortified _but he didn't understand why. He was confused, ashamed, embarrassed, and heavy with worry. Should he tell her? Tell her that he shares a body with a different 'him'? How would you even explain that to an outsider?

"I want you to know," Blaze looked to him. She hesitated for a moment, but swallowed her nervousness and placed her hand on his, "I like who you have become as you've grown up."

The remark caught the hedgehog off guard as he swiftly turned to face her. The reassurance made him feel warm and safe as if this simple gesture and conversation was an attempt to put his insecurity at ease.

Blaze kept her soft smile present, hoping to see that naive grin wash over this anxious expression he was wearing. Anxiety never looked good on someone like Silver. She liked him how she remembers: naive and insecure, but still adamant in what he fights for. Even if he was different when they first met, they were closer than ever before now as he matured. Seeing as they only had each other, it was more than predictable.

Silver shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed. With a confident smile, he held her hand and nodded.

"You've become great too, Blaze. I wouldn't want anyone else by my side in this adventure. I'm glad you stayed with me."

The cat nodded, testing her bravery as she moved closer to her friend. With slight apprehension, Blaze rests her head on his chest as the two lay back in the grass.

Silver could feel his face warm up as she leaned into him, but he didn't resist it. This was… nice. Cozy. Just them and the sky above in a world of life. He began to drift into daydreaming, wondering if this is the future they can have one day: safe and sound after the flames…

* * *

"Blaze!" Venice shouted as he ran to her side, the ashes of the monsters spreading as his boots stomped. "Are you ok?"

"Y-Yes Silver, I'm alright." The young cat stood up with his help. She adjusted her dirty cape cloak and tried to dust off the ash.

Venice made a face at the other one's name but shrugged it off. He had to get used to being called the other's name if he wanted to fit in. A tough pill to swallow, but necessary to survival.

The 12-year-old hedgehog looked around, seeing the ashen remains of their city. The sight filled him with such anger and resentment for Mephiles. He couldn't wait to end him the next time they meet.

"Silver…"  
"Yes?"  
"My cloak is…"

Venice looked to his friend, seeing her cloak disintegrating into nothing. It must've been singed one too many times and finally was falling away. Surprised and a little scared, he covered his eyes and turned away. As much as he hated to admit it, he was really bad at social cues unlike his other.

"I-I'm not looking, Blaze!"

The cat sighed and shook her head at her friend's blissful ignorance. He truly thought she wouldn't have clothing on under her cape? Luckily, she had on a thin-strapped tank top and a pair of white stockings. Out of all of her clothes she's thrown on while growing up in Crisis City, she always found her undergarments to be reliable and somewhat fireproof as if made specifically for the harsh environment of their world.

"Silver," she walked over to him, hands on her hips as she huffed, "I'm not naked."

Peeking through his fingers, Venice sighed with relief, feigning to wipe sweat from his brow. As if this was _that_ big of a deal. "Thank goodness! Now uh… We should probably find you some clothes-"

"No. A new shelter first."  
"What? What's wrong with our little shack?"  
"It's too easily noticeable. We need to hide in a more secure location."

Venice groaned loudly as he crossed his arms, "Blaze, cmon! Our home is fine as it is! We don't need to keep moving when we get ambushed! It's just a thing that happens."

Blaze growled, her eyes darting to her friend, "So you would rather be ambushed day in and day out than find a more stable structure to call home?"

Venice looked away, rubbing his arm nervously. "I mean… I'm pretty used to it so…"

"Just because you're used to it does not make it right." The cat put her hands on her hips, looking at the shelter and pondering. "I think we should find a place up high, like a skyscraper. The more distance we put between ourselves and the flames, the harder we will be to locate."

"I see…" The hedgehog thought about what she was saying. While it made sense, he was finding a hard time understanding why the ground was such a bad place to be. After all, it was all he knew- the ground and staying put as a target. Maybe something that broke that cycle would be good for him and the other one. "When you put it that way, I have to agree with you. Maybe some distance might be good."

The two pre-teens looked at each other before nodding, now on the same page and understanding each other.

Tapping into the other one's energy, Venice began to levitate. He flew high, looking around at the vast nothingness of a landscape. There was nothing of salvaging anymore.

[_Why are you using my power?_]  
/Because you're too incompetent to wield it./  
[...]

"Silver! There!" Blaze shouted as she jumped from ledges up to a rooftop near her friend. She pointed at a skyscraper that had the top blown off, most likely due to some explosion.

[_You're stealing my power, and you're calling me incompetent?!_]  
/It's not stealing if I'm saving our life./

With a nod, Venice tapped into more telekinesis and lifted his friend so that she was flying with him. He pulled her close with his power, making sure he didn't lose his psychic grip on her.

[_A-Agh! S-Stop! It hurts!_]  
/Then go back to sleep! I can handle this!/  
[_N-No! This is **MY** power! You won't take it!_]

The second the other one said that Venice could feel his energy draining from him. He felt tired, dizzy, and as if he was floating (mentally that is). This was bad; he was currently too high in the air to lose consciousness and couldn't risk falling and dropping Blaze at this height. He struggled, his red aura fizzling as he forced himself to keep moving.

Blaze watched her friend with worry. She knew he was pushing his limits with having to go against the pull of gravity. They were up _so_ high, it made her whimper in fear as she tightly shut her eyes. She knew Silver could do it, but with how unstable his power was getting, it made her more and more anxious.

[_GIVE. ME. BACK. MY. POWER, VENICE!_]

Venice could feel the other one's hands around his throat, mentally choking him the more of his power he used. Struggling to stay awake, he flew faster. He managed to make it to the building just as his psychokinesis dissipated. He and Blaze fell onto the highest floor, skidding across the gravel from the propulsion.

Blaze stopped herself from skidding across, panting and trying to settle her frayed nerves. How she hated her acrophobia, but that was the last worry on her mind. She slowly opened her eyes, quickly sitting up when she realized where they were. They had actually made it to the building! They could _finally _be safe for a night!

"We made it… We made it, Silver!" She smiled, standing and turning to her friend. Her smile faded as she saw him clutching the sides of his head. "Silver?" She ran to his side.

/Damn it, Sliver! We almost died!/  
[_You shouldn't have used my power! I'm not here to just drain constantly!_]  
/Does it even matter anymore?! I'm the only one who can fix the mess our life is in!/  
[_Hah! Talk about some unwarranted self-importance! Why don't you give me back my body?! You've had it for too long_!]  
/Like hell I will!/

The two copies ran at each other, fists colliding with the glass between them. Despite not landing a physical hit, they could feel the force of the punches and kicks as they fought. This blank space that was their mental safe haven was such a warzone of uncertainty and fear. How ironic.

The hedgehog tried to stand but stumbled back, his back hitting a girder as he clutched at his head. It was throbbing with such an intense pain it felt like it was going to explode. His eyes were so tightly shut that tears began to fall. He felt someone grab him by his arms, but all he could hear was the yelling and fighting in his head.

[_I hate you! Get out of my body!_]  
/I hate _you_!/  
[_Why didn't you just let Mephiles kill us?!_]  
/Why didn't _you_ just let Mephiles use us?!/

As the two boys yelled, their fists collided with the glass barrier once more, knocking both of them back with force and draining both of them.

[_O-Ow…_]  
/Rrgh.../

The hedgehog and mink glared at each other, fighting for being aware. Seconds passed before Venice finally closed his eyes, relinquishing consciousness to his other half.

Silver weakly opened his eyes, his vision doubled as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

"Silver? What's wrong?" Blaze shook his arms, desperately trying to get him to focus on her.

"B-Blaze? W-Where-" he choked out before his breath caught in his throat. He turned away from his friend and managed to take half a step before falling to his hands and knees. He coughs harshly before vomiting up bile. He shuddered and whimpered as his head hammered with a migraine.

Blaze's ears lowered as she saw just how unhinged her friend was. She certainly hasn't seen him _this _bad in a while, but it was enough to make her worried. She sat beside him, rubbing his back with care as he struggled to regulate his breathing.

"Deep breaths in and out. You'll hyperventilate if you breathe too fast."

Silver followed her instructions, tears sliding down his cheek. Not because he was sad, but because of just how _drained _he was. He had no energy whatsoever, which meant if they were going to be attacked, he won't be able to fight back.

"S-sorry…" He choked out, pressing his fist to his mouth, trying to subdue the lingering nausea.

"Don't be!" Blaze caught herself being too forward and she dialed it back. "I.. I apologize if I made you push yourself." She took notice of his golden eyes and blue energy. Strange…

"No, I-it wasn't you, Blaze!" He spoke up before recoiling, holding his head as a surge of pain course through his body. "I guess I just pushed myself too far." He gave her a weak smile. "Going against the laws of motion isn't all it's caked up to be."

Blaze and Silver sat in silence for a handful of seconds, letting things around them settle after all was said and done. The clouds in the sky began to gather, slowly beginning to blot out the sun. A sign that night was on the way.

"We should find a salvageable spot inside the building. It would give us cover from the elements." The cat spoke up, looking at the clouds as she stood.

"Yeah," Silver agreed as he stood up, "I agree. The sooner we rest, the better."

"Especially for you, it isn't a good idea to be out in the open with how weak you are right now." She gave him a worried glance before taking some steps to the opening of the floor below.

He couldn't shake the feeling of shame that seemed to embrace him. He despised feeling weak or as if he couldn't protect himself or his friend. But… he was also in no mood to argue either given all that's transpired.

The two of them began to jump and climb past the debris in the room below. The building was heavily damaged, but it was the most shelter they had in months. It was better than being exposed and out in the open and would serve as a safety barrier between the harsh heat and scouting enemies outside.

"Here, three floors from the roof," Blaze started as she looked around. "No large panels of glass, just some small windows we can peek out of."

Amazed by the strange placement of objects in the room, he investigated what was still standing. Office desks, some books scattered around, papers were everywhere. What was this place?

"We may be able to hold out here for a while." Blaze sighed, sitting down on the carpet. It was a welcomed change from the asphalt and gravel they normally slept on.

"Right… That might be a good idea." He sat beside his friend, bewildered by the soft floor they were sitting on. "What is this place?"

Blaze looked around. "I'm not sure. I didn't get a good look at the name of the building before we came in. I would assume it's a meeting space?" She thought.

Silver nodded before yawning and rubbing his eyes. He laid down on the plush carpet, sighing in relief from how soft said carpet was against his bristled body. "I'm so tired."

Blaze took it upon herself to lay next to Silver, pulling her knees into a fetal position as she faced him. "We should rest before we go scavenging."

"Good idea." He turned to his friend, smiling at how peaceful she looked. "You must've been so tired, Blaze… I'm sorry we didn't agree to do this before."

"Hmm…" Admittedly, it was nice to hear him own up to his stubbornness, but she was also too exhausted to make anything of it. "All that matters is we're here and safe for the time being."

"Yeah." The hedgehog smiled at his friend before closing his eyes and giving into relaxation's temptation.

"Goodnight, Silver."  
"...Rest easy, Blaze."

* * *

Morning came and went the next day. The two were chasing after Sonic, but not to ambush him as previously intended. Instead, they wanted to join forces with him and prevent the flames of disaster from being released. To do that, they would need to catch up to him and rescue her from Eggman.

From the talk around town, it was determined that Sonic was headed towards Kingdom Valley. The only way to get there is to pass the Tropical Jungle and follow the dirt path south. Prepared to make their peace, the two nodded at each other and dashed off.

"Eggman must be trying to release the flames. That has to be why he wants Elise so badly." Silver spoke, levitating alongside Blaze who ran.

She growled, "Sounds just like him."

"Do you know this guy? You speak about him as if you know him, Blaze."  
"No. But I do get a strange feeling of deja vu when we chase after our target."  
"I see…"

Thankfully, it did not take long to find him. He was surrounded by a circle of Eggman's mechs, all powering up and taking aim.

"Blaze!"  
"On, it!"

Silver cloaked himself in his telekinesis as Blaze summoned wisps of flames. Using his power, he propelled himself in front of Sonic, landing and slamming his palm on the ground. A shockwave of psychokinesis spread out around him and locked up the mechs, sparks fizzling from their cores. A second later, flames collided with the mechs, welding the wires together and shorting out their weapons. With a grunt, Silver threw his hands up, sending the mechs back and breaking them upon impact.

Blaze took her place next to Silver before turning to face Sonic. The light gray hedgehog stood and looked to his previous enemy.

"You look like you're in a hurry, and we don't plan on stopping you." Silver spoke, watching as the cobalt hedgehog crossed his arms and gave him a wary look.

"What's going on?"  
"Circumstances have changed. I need to rescue the princess."

Sonic looked to the lilac cat by his side, then paused. If they were serious about this, then why would he try to stop them? Surely if they had ill intentions, they weren't showing. He was willing to put aside their previous squabbles For a chance to save Princess Elise from that egghead.

The blue hedgehog sighed and flashed a cocky grin. Giving a thumbs up, he took a few steps ahead of them. "Alright! Try to keep up with me!"

Kingdom Valley was almost a lost oasis of Soleanna's relics. Ancient crumbling obelisks and buildings stood tall and wondrous, greeting the three adventurers with large waterfalls and swift air currents. It was beyond words in terms of beauty but was full of hostility as well.

Eggman's mechs inhabited the buildings, ready to stop the blue blur from chasing him down.

Needless to say, the mechanics were rendered to useless junk and scraps as the three fought their way through to the heart of the valley.

Sonic took notice of the mechs filing in one direction, spin dashing into them, and following the path. He was always moving forward towards his goal no matter how bleak things looked. It made Venice interested and made Silver a little envious.

Silver levitated and managed to stay at a consistent speed next to the blue hedgehog. He could feel Venice inviting towards the front of awareness as if he himself was being pulled back. Not forcefully as he had grown accustomed to, but as if they were standing side-by-side. Venice looked at Silver as if asking permission to speak.

"Sonic," Venice's voice blended with Silver's, making it impossible to distinguish, "you're always so focused on the present."

Sonic looked over at his acquaintance, his green eyes widening at the change in colors before him. He wondered what type of strange power this hedgehog had to change his energy signature and his eye color like that!

"Yeah? If we didn't focus on the here and now, we'd be stuck in primitive times." He gave him a grin.

"But focusing on the past… How do you keep it from controlling you?" Venice's eyes stared ahead of the path, "How do you continue to follow a goal even when all hope is lost? After everything that has been entered, why focus here?"

"Because the present is what influenced the future."

Venice looked at him, a little confused by what he meant.

"We can't change the past or what happened. But we can influence how the future turns out."

Sonic stared ahead, jumping from air streams before jumping off of a tree branch.

"Like that!" He slowed his top speed for Venice to catch up, "If I let my past hold me back, I would've fallen or busted my bones back there, but trial and error taught me how to avoid obstacles. Learning things in the present as I grew up helped me understand tactics for the future when I pulled off risky stunts."

"I see…" Venice thought for a moment, retreating into his mind with Silver as he let him have control.

"You can't go back in time and stop yourself from trying to kill me." Sonic noticed the aura and eye colors return to what he was used to and smirked.

Silver looked down, still feeling guilty for what he had done.

"Whatever the circumstances are for what you did or what you're doing now doesn't matter. What matters is how you plan to handle yourself now and let it lead into the future."

/He's insightful… I can't believe you almost killed him./  
[_Yeah I get it_.]

"You know, you remind me of my pal Shadow." He chuckled. "He used to let many things bother him, and he went a long time trying to understand his past." Sonic gave a melancholic smile as he reminisced on the painful memories. "We were enemies for a long time. Then one day, that changed when he decided to move on from his trauma."

"His… trauma?"  
"Yeah. It changed him for the worst for a long time."  
"...Oh."

He skids to a stop atop a cliff edge, keeping an eye on the sky as he continued, "he's come a long way since then."

Silver and Blaze stopped a few inches behind Sonic, listening to what he had to say. They kept their eyes on him as he continued speaking.

"The difference between you and Shadow is obvious." Sonic looked back at Silver, closing his eyes as he spoke his mind, "You tend to feel a stronger sense of empathy. You want to do the right things no matter who gets in your way. If someone does, you try to stop them." He opens his eyes and chuckles before putting his hand on his hips. "You saved my life when I was surrounded when you could've ended me had your reasons not changed. You didn't, and that says a lot about you."

Silver gave a faint grin and nodded, appreciating and outsider's views on his not-so-righteous actions.

"What I'm saying is that the present, this moment right now, this is what matters. From here onwards shapes our future."  
"You… You're right. Thank you, Sonic."

Sonic gave a thumbs up in reply.

This tender moment did not last long though. A deafening explosion was heard in the sky, far out of their field of vision. The trio immediately looked to the sky, seeing smoke start to fly in and flames began flying in. Not long after came a burning ship- Eggman's.

Sonic's eyes widened as he ran towards the very edge of the cliff. He held his hand out as he shouted, "_ELISE!"_

The flaming aircraft began to fall towards an island in the distance, fire engulfing the craft before it combusted on impact with the earth.

Grief-stricken, Sonic fell to his knees, unable to take his eyes off of the tragedy. He was too late and too far away to reach Elise. He was too slow… and it broke him. Life was gone, a princess who was supposed to lead her people. And it was his fault that she was dead. He slammed his fist into the ground, growling at himself as guilt started seeping into his chest.

Blaze and Silver looked away, their expressions falling to one of disbelief.

"The princess, she's…"  
"She can't be… She can't be dead!"  
"Silver, our world isn't going to change."

The ivory hedgehog paused, remembering what Sonic had said to him about living in the present and influencing the future.

/You can't go back and change the past, everything is predetermined./  
[_Maybe not the past, but we can change this instance. It isn't too late, is it?]  
__/_… Wait a second..!/

Venice pulled his other half aside, taking full control once more. He approached Sonic, putting a hand on his back as he reached behind his quills and pulled out the white chaos emerald. "Hope isn't lost."

Sonic slowly looked to his strange-colored ally, wondering what he meant. His eyes fell to the chaos emerald.

"Remember, you said you can influence the present to change the future. We can use Chaos Control and go back to an earlier point in time and influence her outcome!"

Sonic's expression turned from mourning to hopefully and wide-eyed. He took a glance at the flames on the island before standing and grabbing his turquoise emerald. "I understand."

"We have to try." Blaze added in, taking a step forward as she watched the two hedgehogs face off.

The two of them nodded and held their chaos emeralds up as they shouted, "_Chaos Control_!"

Just like last time, a space-time right split between them and swirled with chaos energy. Sonic jumped to the front before turning and tossing the turquoise emerald at Venice who caught it.

"I can handle what's next. Besides, you've got somewhere to be, right?" He gave a smile to his ally before raising his fist, "I'll make sure to change Elise's fate. And that in turn should save your future as well."

Venice nodded as he smiled, more determined than ever before. "Right, just go save her. We can handle the rest." He looked back to Blaze who shared a smile and took a step beside her friend.

"Thank you, Silver and Blaze!" Sonic gave them a thumbs up before disappearing into the portal.

Blaze and Venice looked to one another as if asking each other if they were ready. Nodding, they took a step back, focused on Crisis City, and jumped through.

As the duo landed, they immediately felt the pressure of the heavy atmosphere and the heat of their world. It was the same before they left, smokey and oppressive with no other life in sight.

"Now I know how to change our world," Venice started, putting the emeralds away in his quills, "we don't have to change the past. I'm sure of it."

"So you have a plan?" Blaze asked as she crossed her arms, interested in the seriousness of his nature. "If that's so, then we must hurry. I sense his flames."

"Right."  
"But…"  
"Huh?"

Blaze began to walk ahead of her friend before giving him an incredulous look. "I need to talk to you about something, **_Venice_**."


	10. Prospective

Venice and Blaze stared at each other as a heavy silence fell between them. There were no emotions in the boys, rather the shock of having heard Blaze refer to who was currently in control.

"Come. Let's talk like we used to a long time ago, Venice." Blaze spoke as she began to walk away.

"Blaze, wait!" He called out to her as he ran to catch up. There was a worrying atmosphere though, his heart skipped a beat when she didn't reply or even look back to him. He may as well comply.

/How does… How does she know?/  
[_Did she know this whole time?_]  
/Blaze _is_ very observant, but I never told her my name.../  
[_...or did you?_]

The twins looked at one another in the space. One's expression was uneasy and the other's confused. The mental fog was now but a mist that danced around their ankles, creating a blurred image of the two beings as they both took on the role of being co-conscious.

Blaze looked back at the hedgehog, her face was unreadable as she jumped up to the top of a building in the city. Venice followed, lowering himself with the other's psychokinesis.

He saw Blaze sit on the edge of the building's rooftop trim. Her posture was relaxed.

[_Just go sit with her, she wants to talk_.]  
/but she might be angry with me, she might dislike me.../  
[_Why? You haven't done anything wrong_.]  
/I…/

"Venice." Her voice was calm as she turned her head to her left, "come here."

Taking control, Silver helped push the body to move as he sat next to his friend. Venice's eyes were locked onto the cat as his hands shook with anxiety.

"How… How do you know my name?" He asked, his voice shaky and scared, unsure of what to expect.

"You told me a long time ago. Do you remember?" Blaze looked to him, an unexpected grin on her face. "When we were nine. You saved me from being attacked by an Iblis monster."

"Yes, I remember that, but not telling you my name!" He gave her a perplexed glare.

She took Venice's hand and began to stroke the scarlet marks on the dorsal side of it. Her amber eyes watching the faintly pulsating energy waves as they beat in tandem with his pulse. She reminisces, stroking her thumb idly over the marking.

The feeling makes Venice almost speechless as memory started coming back to him. Resurfacing from under an abyss of poison drenched memories. He and Silver hold onto the memory as it settles into their palms, projecting the memory in photographic detail.

* * *

"So… Blaze, where have you been living?" The 9-year-old kicked a stray pebble, smiling widely as he turned to face his new friend.

"Living?"  
"Yeah, here in the city! Where have you been staying?"  
"... You're too optimistic."

The hedgehog tilted his head as his smile faded. "Huh?"

"You have no idea who I am." The kitten muttered, walking away from him. "While I appreciate being saved, I would prefer to stay away from others."

"But being alone isn't a good idea, especially not here in the heart of the city."

"Perhaps not, but it is better than watching everyone your surviving group die and be burned alive." Blaze shot him a glare before turning her attention away from him again. "The last thing I need to see is another person I was supposed to keep safe bludgeoned to death by those monsters."

Silver's eyes widened and his ears flattened. He looked down as he felt a fisting feeling of uncertainty creep into his mind, speaking to him through the fog in his mind.

/Did… Did you _kill _the members of her group..?/  
[_No of course not_! _I don't even know her or her group._]  
/Maybe you didn't know them, but.../

"It isn't personal." Blaze spoke up, her demeanor melting a little from the silence, "I just cannot bear the guilt of feeling like those deaths are my fault. I could've illuminated the shadows, bring light to that thick mist, but…" She shook her head from the memory, "I was too scared to do anything."

Then the slow realization hit him like one of those flaming rocks he had stopped many times. He took a step back as he stared at Blaze in disbelief.

[_Those people that were monsters… The ones I killed by accident… They were…!_]

"AAAUUGHH!"

Suddenly, he could hear a loud ear-splitting ringing in his head. He threw his hands to his ears, trying to block out the sound as if it was outside of his mind. The fog thickened, the feeling of being pulled back, as if he was floating above his body, watching in a separate reality; he felt like he didn't exist in his own body.

"Silver?!" Blaze turned to the hedgehog in distress and approached him carefully.

The hedgehog stumbled back before falling on his knees and crouched over onto the pavement. He groaned, growled, and wailed from the sound as he began to feel withdrawn as if he was a ghost inhabiting his body.

Blaze hesitated to do anything as she did not know this stranger or what he was going through. He didn't appear hurt when he saved her, but looking at him now, he _did_ have some scruffs and bruises on his body…

As quickly as the screams of pain happened, they stopped and the boy's body fell limp and silent.

"Silver?!" The young cat bit her lip and ran to his side. He saved her life, it was only fair of her to help him if he needed it. She noticed the blue energy signatures that were glowing on his hands and his wrists. They were mesmerizing.

She reached out and began to touch the markings. They felt just like they looked, similar to the feeling of the skin, but lacking any heat or coolness. They were pulsating slowly, moving perfectly with his breathing. Her thumb traced over the marking, feeling his soft fur that lined his hand.

As she did so, the markings began to shift from bright aqua to a highly saturated crimson. She took notice, but didn't flinch, instead, she held his hand tighter. He groaned as the boy finally began to twitch his fingers and lift his head. When he looked at Blaze, she quoted a brow- his gold eyes were now sky blue.

"...Who are you?" The unknown kid asked, using his free hand to fix his sitting position and rub his temples.

Blaze gave a confused look but kept her comments to herself. Her face was stern, but not scary. "Blaze. And you are?"

The kid looked down at their hand that she continued to stroke with care. It confused him, the whole concept of staying with someone unworthy of anything other than pain like himself. He hesitated but finally replied without a problem, "Venice."

"Venice? That's your name?"  
"That's what I said."  
"Interesting."

Blaze thought for a second. This wasn't the kind and inviting kid she was just speaking to, no, this wasn't_ Silver_. This was someone else. Someone who shared his body, but called himself _Venice_. This was utterly fascinating, to say the least, it wasn't every day you get saved by a kid with separate identities.

"Blaze," Venice started as he stood up, pulling his hand away from hers. He held his arms as he felt the derealization of fully fronting for the first time shake him to the core. "I'm sorry, but I need to get going."

Blaze tilted her head as she stood up, dusting her tights free of ash. "And where will you go?"

"Somewhere that isn't here." His reply was curt and short.

"And you know where you are now?"  
"I'm in Crisis City. In the center of town, right where the first test was held."  
"The first test?"

Venice shook his head, putting his hand to his eyes as the flashes of the corpses burned into the back of his eyes. He was still shaking slightly, trying to steady his breathing as he opened his eyes, forcing himself to focus on the environment.

The young cat sighed and walked over to him. "I don't know what happened to you or Silver, and despite what I previously stated, I believe that we should stick together." She mentally kicked herself for saying that. She knew what would happen if they got surrounded again and would have to grieve another friend. But there was no way she could leave such a fragile person alone in this state.

"N-No!" Venice turned to face her, fear in his eyes as he shook his head. "I-I can't… Not after… Not after…" He trembled as he began to hyperventilate, his gaze unfocused as he could feel the icy tendrils of darkness enrapturing his mind and body.

"Venice." Blaze's voice was stern and grounding, forcing him to look at her rather than a different direction. She took his hands, her thumb stroking the energy markings as she kept him stable and focused on her.

The hedgehog stared at this stranger. His heart was racing and his head was starting to kill him. He could feel the fog rolling in, the other one was trying to come back. But the comfort of being consoled… it was a kind gesture he wasn't used to. But it wouldn't last.

His breathing slowed to a steady rhythm before he collapsed into his friend's arms.

Caught off guard from the sudden weight in her arms, she took a step back but held him close. This encounter and stranger was beyond the word strange. It was foreign to her. Two different identities, one with clearly traumatic memories and one who seemed to be free from them… it made her pity her friend. That's no way to live.

"Mmgh… Blaze..?"

What were red glowing marks were now back to aqua, and his blue eyes were gold once more. He steadied himself and stepped back, slightly blushing when he realized he was being held by Blaze.

"S-Sorry!" He looked worried, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm to her, "I-I didn't mean to-"

"Don't… Don't apologize." Blaze lowered his hands for him, she stared deeply into his eyes while keeping a respectful distance. She studied him, wondering where that panicked other self had retreated into.

"Alright! Uh… So…"  
"We should stick together."  
"Wait what?"

Blaze nodded, "Let's team-up. We can become a force to be reckoned with."

"I'm sorry for what you went through in your previous one, but…" Silver looked away, then at her, a little confused. "I thought you didn't want to be a part of a group anymore?"

Blaze paused before taking a steady breath.

"I changed my mind. We both shouldn't be alone in this wasteland. We need to stop Iblis, and neither one of us can do it alone."

Silver smiled, giving his friend a determined look, "yeah! I've been waiting to hear that! I want Iblis to leave and never come back!"

Blaze smiled, "and Venice?"

Silver's expression fell as she spoke an unknown name. One that felt familiar but foreign to him.

"Will he help us stop Iblis?"  
"Don't… I don't…"  
"But he is _in _you, Silver. He can help us."

Silver shook his head, trying to push the dissociated feeling away. "I'm Silver. _Not _Venice. Don't call me that anymore please." He looked at Blaze with a smile, "He's… He's not _me_. I'm me."

Blaze gave him a strange look before eventually nodding. "Alright Silver. When you're ready, I will ask again."

The teen's eyes drifted from their hands to his friend's eyes. She gave him an expectant look.

* * *

"So what's the answer?" Blaze traced the circular red outline of his energy marking, her amber eyes meeting his sky blue ones. "Will you help Silver and I defeat Iblis?"

Venice felt his heart pound from the memory, his eyes stuck on the grounding motion of her hand on his. The feeling of guilt of a realization he forgot about a long time ago now fresh in his mind. Does Blaze even know about that? Does she remember?

"Blaze…" Venice's voice trembled, a bothered expression present. "I… Why do you need _me _here? You and Silver can handle it." He tries to move his hand away, but Blaze held it in place.

"You're half of Silver. If he and I did this alone, he wouldn't be using his full power. You _need _to be here and fight Iblis with us."

"But I… I can't, I…"

"You have no problem destroying those minions it shoots out." Her stare was now hardened, trying to weave past his refusal.

Venice finally pulled his hand away from hers as if protecting it from her comfort. He shook his head as he shut his eyes tight.

He hated how fresh the corpses looked in his mind. The blood that stained the ashen asphalt, their facial features heavily deformed, the black mist that coiled around his body… The monsters they appeared to be.

/I have to tell her, Silver./  
[_But… She'll hate us forever if she finds out._]  
/I can't live with this guilt anymore. Seeing her here, asking for my help, and not even knowing what we did.../  
[_Don't, please! We can just-_]  
/I have to. You need to understand that we've been living a lie for so many years. I'm tired of it. We… We deserve to be free of this./

He began to breathe heavily, not hyperventilating, but breaths that were full of weight and anxiety. His blue eyes shot open to Blaze who seemed worried at his sudden movements.

"Blaze," He began, lowering his head as he faced away from her, "back then when we first met, I… Refused to join you and call ourselves a team. Against Silver's wishes." His voice became more steady as he spoke as if he already accepted the outcome of it all.

Blaze nodded, the memory of their first encounter still fresh in her mind. She looked out to the skyline as he continued.

With a deep breath, he spoke his next words carefully, "Mephiles killed our birth parents."

The princess's eyes widened and she looked at him. His expression was stone cold and eyes were focused on the sky as if he had accepted this fact a long time ago.

"For years we lived in a constant state of fear by his hands. He would create illusions for us to battle in an attempt to awaken our chaos powers." He held his hand up at the sky, peering at the red energy marks. "I never understood what exactly he wanted from us. All I knew was he was determined to force them out no matter the cost."

Venice lowered his hand before looking at his friend. He took a deep breath and gave a serious expression. "That first test? He made ordinary survivors appear as Iblis's minions."

Blaze's heart sank as she listened, turning her gaze away from her friend.

"...And… Those survivors?"

Venice hesitated before continuing, "they looked like monsters in my eyes. I… _We_ had to fight for our survival."

Slowly, she met his face as she realized the weight of what he said and did. She could remember hearing a child scream in the mist, the wet splattering of blood she couldn't see, the sound of a heavy rock crushing bones.

"_You _murdered the group I was with…"

"It wasn't…" He stopped himself from trying to save what he said. He did murder them, innocent people but wearing the skin of Iblis's monsters. "I couldn't… I couldn't tell you at the time. And I'm… I'm so _so _sorry." He shook his head, shutting his eyes. "Sorry won't bring them back. Sorry isn't good enough. Sorry is… insufficient compared to the guilt you must've carried for years."

The feline didn't say anything for a while. She sat there, understanding and carefully listening to everything he said, piecing it together with the memory.

The silence weighed heavily between them, almost choking the air out of him. He continued his story, "When we were nine, we managed to break free of Mephiles' torture. That was when our powers 'activated'. Since then, we've been trying to save what little of our world we have left." His blue eyes stared at the skyline, finally feeling that heavyweight on his heart be lifted.

Blaze finally looked back at the sky, her thoughts now clear as she replied, "I cannot forgive you for what you did to my group. I cannot forgive you for keeping it from me for so long."

Venice looked down at the decrepit city below them, fidgeting with his fingers in worry.

"But," she looked to him, "I… understand that you believed that they were monsters. You… aren't my enemy. Especially now that I know who is the cause behind it all." Her eyes were cold as she clenched her fists. "We _need _to end Iblis, then Mephiles. _He_ is the reason I lost my group. And you? You were just his plaything. And… I'm sorry that he did that to you. That he… broke you so frequently that you both split."

Venice faced her, his expression full of melancholy as she spoke. Her eyes were sad, but not tearful. She wanted _revenge, _just like him. She wanted to avenge the lives he took alongside Iblis.

"If you want to make amends for having done what you did," she looked out to the skyline before standing. "Defeat Iblis with me. Both of you, prove to me that you want the same as I." She held her hand out to her friend as she asked, "Will you team up with me and defeat Iblis... _and _Mephiles?"

The hedgehog gazed at her open hand before taking it and standing by her side. His expression was serious and intense, a hint of Silver's determination in his eyes.

"Yes. _We_ will put an end to both of them, that way no one else has to suffer. No matter the cost."

"Good. Then let's waste no more time."

* * *

Trekking through Crisis City was the same song and dance they were too used to. Climbing over debris, moving large objects out of their way, and destroying the occasional flame beast here and there. Before they knew it, they were face to face with the Flames of Disaster itself: Iblis. It rose from the lava heart of the city, forming a pillar of fire before rising from the heat and embers.

"It's time to end this, Iblis!" Venice _and _Silver shouted in unison, half of his body glowing with red energy and the other half engulfed in bright aqua. His eye colors were split quite the same- light blue on one side and gold on the other. The two of them looked to Blaze, who nodded in agreement with a determined grin.

The monster roared as sparks of magma shot into the sky. Without any hesitation, the beast summoned multiple minions that encircled the duo.

"I'll weaken Iblis, you focus on the minions!" Silver/Venice shouted to their partner as they levitated.

"Understood!" Blaze replied as she jumped back from one of the phoenix's attacks.

They sprung into action. Blaze twirling into a flame tornado, and Silver lifting multiple cars and rocks. With a timed battle cry, they both attacked their targets with force and ease.

Blaze performed her pirouettes with perfect precision as she overheated the monsters, causing them to combust into ash.

Silver and Venice threw the heavy objects into Iblis, tearing off one of its horns as it bellowed in pain. With a chuckle, they dodged the flaming tendrils that reached for them. For once they were in unison, focusing together with well-timed and deadly attacks. Working side by side to put an end to this demon (well, one of them) was proving to be successful, smart, and... Something they both admitted they should've done a lot sooner.

As another broken car collided with one of the monster's jaws, severing it from its body, the hedgehog looked to Blaze. They watched her perfect movements and smiled. They both were thankful that she still wanted to fight by their side.

They may have thought too much about it as they were hit by one of Iblis's tendrils, sending them colliding into the shattered road. Ignoring the pain the best they could, they looked to Blaze and swiftly got to their feet.

"Blaze!" They shouted as their aura flared to life and they flew towards their partner.

Throwing their arms around her, they summoned a protective forcefield around both of them. Just in time as one of Iblis's flaming rocks crashed into them. The protective field wasn't their signature colors, instead, it was a pastel sea green, no doubt from the emeralds they had tucked away in their quills.

"Silver! Are you ok?" Blaze pushed herself away from him slightly, getting a good look at his face for any sign of pain, but she found none.

"We're fine." Both boys gave her a reassuring smile. They've never felt so full of energy and powered up. These emeralds were beyond words, so full of power!

With a grunt, the hedgehog let go of his friend and threw his arms out. The large rock that had crashed into them went flying back, perforating Iblis's molten skull. His form began to disintegrate into ash as magma bubbled and burst. The once-massive demon was reduced to a single unstable flame. Embers danced around the hedgehog and cat as they ran to the edge of the broken road.

Silver and Venice held the turquoise and white Chaos Emeralds out as they began to shout towards the flame, "Chaos Emeralds, lend me your power! Eternal Sun! The Living Flame that has been entrusted to the royal family! Fall into slumber with my soul, Iblis! You cursed Flames of Disaster!"

The emeralds lit with a chaotic light as the unstable energy rushed towards the source. The flames circled the emeralds as a bright beam of pure concentrated energy pierced Silver and Venice's chest, making them cry out in pain. Wisps of light and flames danced around his body as the energy held within the chaos emeralds began to suck all the life and energy out of the hedgehog.

They didn't understand! This was the same change they heard from the Duke when he sealed Iblis the first time! What was the problem?

"No! Why won't it accept us as the vessel?!" They choked out, stumbling back but remaining standing as the chaos energy practically burned their chest.

Blaze took a breath before approaching her partner. She put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look at her. "Let me take Iblis."

"But-but Blaze! That would- Aah!" They struggled to say, their hands shaking as they backed into Blaze from the force.

"Don't worry. My soul is already alit with flames. I will be accepted." Blaze gave him a look as if her mind was already made up. She put her hand on the emerald, the energy transferring from Silver/Venice directly into her.

As she picked up the emeralds, she stepped ahead of Silver and held the emeralds out near her chest. As the energy began to shoot into her chest, she grunted but remained stable. Her soul and body were accepted.

The hedgehog clutched their burning chest, trying to stay conscious despite being completely drained of energy. They watched with wide eyes as Blaze stood in front of him, energy gracing her form as it centered around her torso.

She turned to face her partner, "Come on, make it quick. Use your Chaos Control... to stop time. Then... seal us into a different dimension." She could feel the power taking over her soul. There was very little time to waste.

Silver/Venice's eyes widened as they forced the body to stand, shaking their head, "No! We can't do that!"

The lilac cat shot him a harsh glare, "Didn't we already go through this? We agreed to save the world at any price!"

Recoiling from the harshness in her voice, they looked at both of their hands then at her. They shut their eyes as they focused their energy. Faint trails of energy formed around their fingers, but soon fizzled as tears stung their eyes. They tried again, but couldn't focus.

"We can't! We wouldn't know what to do without you! You've fought alongside us to save the world…" They looked at her as tears slid down their face, their voice breaking as they struggled to speak, "You're our friend... Right?"

All that was heard in response was a sigh before she turned to face her partner. She had a smile on her face as she approached him. Her steps were silent as if her body weighed nothing. "You're so naive. But…"

Silver/Venice stared at her as they choked back tears. They reached out to her, grabbing her face as he saw tears glisten in her amber eyes.

"Ever since we were little, Venice, Silver," she closed her eyes, resting her face in their caring hands. She gave a smile when she saw the gold and light blue eyes staring back at her, "I've always loved that about you."

She leaned in, pressing her lips against the hedgehogs. This would be their last embrace, their last conversation, the last time they would see each other. Silver and Venice didn't hesitate, kissing her back and trying to hold onto her for dear life. They didn't want to lose her, they couldn't.

"Thank you… for proving your true intentions to me." She pulled herself away, taking cautious steps back as she closed her eyes, focusing her thoughts.

With a gust of wind, the emeralds began to shine with a blinding light, forming a violet shield around the cat as she opened her eyes. Having induced Chaos Control herself, she drops both emeralds as she and Iblis began to fade into the void, her body floating upward as her very being had started to disintegrate.

"**_BLAZE!_**" Both of them shouted, reaching their hand out as they tried to reach her, but it was futile.

She was still smiling as her physical being faded. "Good luck, Silver." her body floats up to the clouds and explodes in light. Rays of sunlight descend upon Silver/Venice, and Crisis City brightens up, quenching the lava and the flames altogether.

/[_A blue sky…_]/

The hedgehog gazed up as the sky cleared, the light fading into the darkness of the clouds and spreading them out. The heat they were used to had been snuffed out, replaced with a cool breeze that stung their eyes as tears continued to fall.

There was no more loud churning of fire, only the silence of a broken city and the stifled cries of Silver and Venice. They fell to their knees, their eyes looking at the emeralds she was once holding. With care, they picked them up and held them to their chest as they cried.

"Please... Please don't... don't leave us..."


	11. Synthesis

The two sat back-to-back in the space of their mind. There were no words, nothing left to say. Their future was safe now. But at what cost? They had no one other than each other now.

"I can't believe she's gone..." Venice muttered, holding his knees.

"...I… This feels like a bad dream."  
"It isn't a dream."  
"I know that."

They fell silent. Both of them felt stuck, unsure of where to go or how to move on after experiencing a loss like this. Someone who meant so much to them ripped away in a matter of moments. It reminded them both of them of what happened so many years ago.

"Mephiles is still out there." Venice took a deep breath before he stood up.

Silver shot him a furious glare, fists clenched. "That's all you can think of?! Still going after Mephiles?!"

The mink turned to face his copy as he spoke, "I know it's hard to move on after such a loss. But we've done it before." He crossed his arms. "Blaze wouldn't want us to be sulking like this. After all, our future isn't saved _yet_. Not while Mephiles is still existing."

He looked down, pain in his chest the more he thought about Blaze's words. "...I just… Can't go through this… Not again!" Silver hid his face in his hands.

"I know… I.. I know." Venice spoke calmly, kneeling, and wrapping his arms around his other half. "It's hard. It's going to be. But you won't go through it alone." He couldn't lie to his copy, he was hurting just as much as he was. But he knew that their mission wasn't over yet, it can't be.

Silver leaned into his other self, holding him close as he cried. His voice echoing in the space as he let his pain out.

_"Silver._"

The boy snapped back to reality, his gold eyes opened. He pushed himself up from his lying position on the ground, looking around for the source of the voice. He tightly held the chaos emeralds as he stood up.

/That voice.../

Whipping his head around, he saw a thick black mist enveloping his world. Everything was disappearing into nothingness, and soon, the tendrils of negativity swirled around his legs and wrists.

[_W-What?! What is this?!_]  
/its Mephiles.../

Silver fought, using his psychic powers to push back the energy until it eventually engulfed him. Even the brightness of the chaos emeralds was shrouded. His world went black, and for a moment, he thought that was it. This was how his story ended. There was no peace and evil truly did win in the end.

… Until he seemed to be teleported in a strange void-like area. The sky above was a bright violet, swirling with stars as the core in the center brightened.

Landing on his feet, Silver took a moment to grab his bearings. He didn't recognize this place, it felt like an entirely different reality. Where time and space didn't exist. But the air… It was rich with unstable energy.

He looked around for his chaos emeralds before looking at his own hands in confusion. "The chaos emeralds disappeared…?"

"Silver?" A familiar voice called for him.

"Amy?" He felt both relieved and extremely confused. "What are we doing here?"

"I don't know, but it… It's scary." The pink hedgehog murmured, putting her hands together as she looked down.

Silver took another look around, seeing a whole cast of people he never met. Strangers all surrounding something and seeming to be in mourning. "This is all so confusing…"

A mature bat girl answered his unspoken question, "It's all because of Solaris."

/Solaris?/  
[_No way…_]

A round and particularly villainous man adjusted his glasses before speaking up, "It seems we were all caught by the spatial distortion. Iblis' seal has been broken. Due to Mephiles manipulation."

He watched as the bat, the human, and Amy went to see what the commotion was about.

"Sonic?" Amy's voice was heavy with grief. He heard her fall and break into sobs.

"No... You don't think…" A yellow fox looked to a red echidna in disbelief.

"Sonic!" Said echidna punched the air as he turned away from whatever it was that was causing this reaction.

[_Sonic?_]

Silver followed suit, approaching the group but keeping a respectful distance. His eyes widened at the sight: Sonic laying in the princess's arms, a large bloody hole pierced through his chest.

[_He's dead._]

His gold eyes looked around at the strangers mourning him before turning his gaze away.

/This can't be…/  
[_Everyone we know is dying…_]

"Mephiles played us all for fools!" The human, who he assumed to be Eggman, shook his head before looking up at the sky, "His plan all along was to cause the Princess to be consumed with despair that she'd cry."

[_So that's why he wanted me to kill Sonic before_…]  
/So that he and Iblis could become one being./

"Solaris…" he looked to the sky, hearing the loud echoing sounds the deity gave off.

Eggman looked back at Sonic, lowering his head in seriousness, his expression unreadable as he continued, "This creature will consume all existing timelines. And time itself will collapse and disappear into nothingness."

Shadow looked towards the ivory hedgehog before looking up at the sky.

"The instability of time caused this time-space rift, that's what you're saying."

Eggman nodded, "It won't remain for much longer."

The red echidna took angry steps towards the villain as he spoke, his voice laced with rage, "Then we've no time to waste. We've got to defeat it now!"

Eggman shook his head, "No, it is a transcendent life form that exists in the past, present and future. Defeating it here, now, would do nothing."

Silver clenched his fists as he took a step towards the group.

"No, I won't give up. There has to be a way. If you say it exists in the past, present, and future, I'll destroy them all at once!"

Shadow thought for a second before looking back at Sonic.

"Certainly, it might have been possible, if he was still alive."

"Sonic! Sonic!" Amy cried, holding onto his arm as she begged for him to answer her.

The group went silent once more, unsure of how to act or what to say. It seemed that without Sonic, his group didn't know what to do. Silver felt beyond out of place, but Sonic was just as much an ally as he was to these people.

/I… I don't know what to do./  
[_Can't you change the flow of time?_]  
/I can only freeze it for a few seconds, I can't rewind it. You know that./  
[_I know but…_]

Silver looked away from the sight, his eyes shut as he tried to find some sort of solution or way to save this conundrum.

The princess lifted her head with a gasp. She had felt something strange.

"Sonic…?"

Silver glanced at her, raising a brow.

"What's the matter?"

Princess Elise looked at the gray hedgehog as she spoke, "I feel... Sonic's presence in the wind. I don't think he's dead yet! I'm sure of it. It's not too late!"

/Wait… She's the _Princess! _Do you remember what we saw back then?/  
[_Iblis was sealed within her._]  
/Exactly! So if she was able to be the vessel for Iblis and survive it.../  
[_Then she may be able to heal Sonic and bring him back!_]

"Of course! Let's call him back with the power of the Chaos Emeralds!" The group turned to look at him as he spoke, their eyes full of bewilderment at the conclusion. He looked up at the sky, continuing, "Focus your thoughts on using its power to perform this miracle…" His eyes fell to Elise as he walked up to her, kneeling by her side so that they were eye level, "You were the vessel that was used to seal Iblis. You should be able to use the gems' power to rescue Sonic's soul!" He clenched his fist in determination, smiling at this new ray of hope in front of him, "You can do it, Princess!"

Elise's eyes widened at the amount of knowledge this strange hedgehog had about her. And as scared as she was about this whole idea, she swallowed her fear and nodded, returning the smile.

"I'll...Do it!"

Eggman adjusted his glasses, seeing the path of the chaos emeralds as he spoke, "Solaris flung the Chaos Emeralds to the distant corners of this distorted world."

The young fox added in, "To collect them all in time, we'll have to split up!"

Amy dried her eyes before standing and giving a courageous look to Elise, "I'll go, too! Because it's for Sonic! So Elise... Watch over him!"

"Meet back here! We will perform the miracle when all of the emeralds are collected." The princess ordered, and everyone nodded in understanding.

It was then that everyone split up to find the lost Chaos Emeralds.

* * *

Now standing in the void that was the End of the World, the seven Chaos Emeralds levitated in perfect harmony around Sonic. Princess Elise took a step forward, folding her hands together as she focused on wish. Everyone else stood in anticipation behind her.

"Oh Chaos Emeralds, gems of miracles. Please heed my call." The Emeralds began to glow brighter. "I wish to save this world. I wish to cleanse my father's sin. And, I wish to talk to Sonic... once again!" The gems began to spin, lifting Sonic with them. "You have given me so many things. Now it is my time to return the favor. I care not what happens to me. But please heed my voice. Sonic, come back! To me... To us!" She leaned down to him as a bright white light filled the darkness.

When the light faded, Sonic levitated in front of everyone. His eyes were bright red and his fur was golden, glowing with pure Chaos Energy. His wounds were healed and he was alive once more. He smiled at his friends as they all happily cheered.

As he lowered to stand in front of her, the princess collapsed into his arms from exhaustion. "Thank you, Elise." Sonic helped her back to her feet as she smiled. He took a step back, looking at Shadow and Silver.

/This pull of energy.../  
[_I can't deny it… it's calling me._]  
/Let it burn./

Silver walked with Shadow up to Sonic. The hedgehogs exchanged looks as the transformed one smiled. He held out his hands, as did the other two.

He could feel the purity of the Chaos Energy flow into his body with no resistance. It refreshed his power sources, replenishing his once drained energy with vast amounts of psychokinesis. His energy symbols were now bright like the sun, his chest fur color matching his other half's- golden and shiny, and finally, his eyes shared Sonic and Shadow's: bright glowing red.

The trio of super transformed hedgehogs exchanged looks before flying upwards to face the final enemy: Solaris.

Sonic floated up, levitating face to face with Solaris. Shadow and Silver caught up, levitating by his sides respectively. The past, present, and future aligned against the god of time himself.

/Let's do this./  
[_Right._]

The twins held each other's hands as they shared consciousness, giving all of their power for what was to come.

"Solaris… It's time to end this!" Sonic shouted, clenching his fists.

The deity released a low unholy sound, circular crystals by its back and sharp orange eyes glowing in the universal space. The being was a strange mix of crystal and mystical fire, able to summon large meteors and fire them at the trio.

Sonic dashed circles around the being, occasionally attacking the center core of the beast. Shadow tired and unlimited amount of Chaos Spears in the direction of the foe's weakness. Silver collected any meteors that tagged him or his teammates and shot them back at their enemy.

As they battled, Silver heard a sharp ringing in his head.

"_I no longer need a child of the ancient bloodline!_" Mephiles's telepathy rang loud in Silver's head, "_All I needed was to unlock the seal, break it! Just like I will break you for interfering!_"

Silver/Venice, filled with rage, screamed, "You **stole** my life from me, Mephiles! You **took **everything away from me!" A large glowing shield formed around himself, his psychokinetic hands reaching far beyond their limit and grabbing the meteorites that hurtled towards him. "You will **NOT** win this, _demon_!"

Shadow and Sonic fired at the same time that Silver did, their attacks hitting the core of the monster all at once. With a fiery explosion from the core and an unearthly roar, the deity began to fall into space.

"Is it… Is it over?" Silver asked, watching as the beast fell.

A white ray of light burst around the form of Solaris, enveloping his physical appearance.

"No, it's not over yet." Shadow answered, raising his arms and preparing to shoot multiple spears.

The god reformed, floating back up and spread its dislocated wings as it howled. _This _was the true form of Solaris. The periwinkle hue was glowing as if it were pure and angelic, but it also sent chills down the heroes' spines.

"...I guess it's not gonna be that easy." Sonic added in, his stare growing more serious.

The god began to charge up a laser from its crystalline mouth, prompting the trio to split up in different directions to attack. Sonic flew upwards, looking for a weak spot. Shadow dove down, searching for the same and occasionally throwing spears at the meteors. Silver dodged the laser beam and ricocheted another large space rock at the being.

They didn't seem to be able to weaken the god at all, there wasn't a weak point. As the god roared again, it shot the crystals that encircled it towards the trio, striking them each in the backs.

"Shit… This isn't good." Shadow cursed, panting as he looked back at his teammates to make sure they were still alive. "Silver, are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" Silver responded, recovering from the hit as he formed a shield around the trio, protecting them from any rocks.

"Cmon, we can't give up so easily!" Sonic bounced back from the attack, smirking. "He can't keep up that big attitude for very long!"

With that, Shadow shouted as he flew out of the shield's range and began firing the chaos spears in random directions at the god.  
Sonic was next, dashing towards Solaris and spin dashing into the crystal skin in an attempt to shatter it.  
Silver flew towards the god, capturing the projectiles and sending them back with force.

Solaris zeroed in on Silver, forming a large crystal spike and propelling it at mach speed towards the super-powered hedgehog.

With Silver too focused on the other projectiles, he was struck again, sending flying back into space.

"Silver!" Sonic and Shadow hollered, their focus cut off of Solaris, which allowed them to be hit again.

Struggling to keep his energy, Silver/Venice stayed back from the line of fire, panting heavily. Then that sharp ringing in his head began again. He put a hand to his temple, his eyes screwing shut.

When he opened them again, he saw _him._

"_Silver. Come Silver, join me." _Mephiles stood in front of Silver, holding a crystalline limb out to him._ "I can change the future. I can bring her back_."

Silver/Venice stared at Mephiles with an unreadable expression. Their heart was racing as he began to breathe heavily from the feeling of grief and loss over the ones who passed. His parents, Blaze, the people he was manipulated into killing…

_"If you want to make amends for having done what you did," she looked out to the skyline before standing. "Defeat Iblis with me. Both of you, prove to me that you want the same as I." She held her hand out to him as she asked, "Will you team up with me and defeat Iblis... and Mephiles?"_

His expression growing cold, no more feeling left in his body, Venice answered for both of them.

"**No.**"

Silver then stepped into control just as a large meteorite was propelled his way. He grabbed the massive object with ease as his burning crimson eyes focused on the crystal being.

"**Die!**"

With that shout, Silver shot the meteorite into Mephiles, sending it crashing into Solaris' middle rocky plate, shattering it. Underneath was an organic ball of concentrated energy.

"Silver! Are you ok?" Sonic dashed to his side.

"You took a big hit, will you be fine to continue?" Shadow asked as he flew in as well.

"The core! We need to aim there!" Was the only response Silver/Venice gave, pointing it out to his allies. "We may not be able to defeat the physical form, but if we take out the consciousness, it will render him useless!"

Sonic and Shadow looked to space then at each other. They then looked at Silver and nodded. They reformed their original position- Shadow on the left, Sonic in the center, and Silver on the right- and held their hands out towards Solaris, aiming straight for the orb of consciousness.

"I will release you from the chains of your past!"

"The present day, the here and now that you've stolen, it's time to take it back!"

"I will destroy you, Solaris! For the sake of the future, I will protect it!"

The three boys began to glow with an intense golden hue as the space between their hands started to charge up harsh energy.

In unison, all three shouted, "**_CHAOS CONTROL!_**"

and the world turned white.

* * *

The ivory hedgehog stood on the outskirts of his destroyed city. He's lived on Onyx Island for his whole life, and every day has been the same. Endless cycles of unpredictability and fear at the hands of Eggman Nega. His ability to make machines that can alter reality was causing more havoc than he thought was possible. First, a camera that can turn people into cards and power up his machines, then abusing the chaos energy held within Chao to create a doomsday machine.

The hedgehog gave a heavy sigh, falling back onto the dead grass as he looked up at the sky. Given all he's been through in his life, he couldn't help but feel like he had always been filled with a reason to keep going. As if he was chasing echoes of time lost long ago. He watched the wispy clouds pass by, using his telekinesis to trace outlines in the air of images he saw.

One image was of a female cat. The way he drew her felt oddly familiar. The next image was one of a mink, nearly identical to himself. Seeing it made him 'hum' in confusion. He shook his head as he dispelled his drawings in the sky.

Even though this time was hard and rough, he still was thankful to know that he could travel through time freely. At any moment he could go back and visit Sonic, Shadow, Espio, and even Knuckles. His allies were some of the best he's had, and he honestly wouldn't know what to do without them. Heck, without their help, his world would be destroyed.

A smile crept across his face as he stared at the skyline.

"This is the future." He spoke softly, holding his hand out to trace the clouds once more with the image of that strange cat. "and I am alive."


End file.
